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CASA DEL COBERAADOR
noticf
f e r r .^? eful examination of the
ER MARGIN AND TYPE OF IWATFriai
have sewn THIS volume B? HAMn
. re A ao BE M0RE eas "- y opened
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL
IN
YUCATAN.
BY JOHN L. STEPHENS,
AUTHOR OP “INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN EGYPT, ARABIA PETR^EA, AND THE
HOLY LAND,” “INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN CENTRAL AMERICA, CHIAPAS,
AND YUCATAN,” ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY 120 ENGRAVINGS.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
NEW-YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, 82 CLIFF-STREET.
1 84 3.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by
Harper &l Brothers,
In the Clerk’s Office of the Southern District of New-York.
PREFACE.
In his “ Incidents of Travel in Central America,
Chiapas, and Yucatan,” the author intimated his in¬
tention to make a more thorough exploration of the
ruins of the latter country. That intention has
since been carried into effect, and the following
pages are the result. They describe, as the au¬
thor has reason to believe, the most extensive jour¬
ney ever made by a stranger in that peninsula,
and contain the account of visits to forty-four ruin¬
ed cities, or places in which remains or vestiges
of ancient population were found. The existence
of most of these ruins was entirely unknown to
the residents of the capital; — but few had ever
been visited by white inhabitants; -— they were des¬
olate, and overgrown with trees. For a brief space
the stillness that reigned around them was broken,
and they were again left to solitude and silence.
Time and the elements are hastening them to utter
destruction. In a few generations, great edifices,
IV
PREFACE.
their facades covered with sculptured ornaments, al¬
ready cracked and yawning, must fall, and become
mere shapeless mounds. It has been the fortune
of the author to step between them and the entire
destruction to which they are destined; and it is his
hope to snatch from oblivion these perishing, but
still gigantic memorials of a mysterious people.
The descriptions are accompanied by full illustra¬
tions from Daguerreotype views and drawings taken
on the spot by Mr. Catherwood, and the engravings
were executed under his personal superintendence.
CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME.
CHAPTER I.
Embarcation.—Fellow-passengers.—A Gale at Sea.—Arrival at
Sisal.—Ornithological Specimens.—Merida.—Fete of San Cris-
toval.—The Lottery.—A Scene of Confusion.—Principle of the
Game.—Passion for Gambling.—A deformed Indian . Page 9
CHAPTER II.
Housekeeping.—Description of a Bull-ring.—A Bull-fight.—Spec¬
tators.—Brutal Torments inflicted on the Bulls.—Serious Acci¬
dents.—A noble Beast.—An exciting Scene.—Victims to Bull¬
fighting.—Danger and Ferocity of Bull-fights.—Effects on moral
Character.—Grand Mass.—A grand Procession.—The Alameda.
—Calesas.—A Concert, and its Arrangements.—Fete of Todos
Santos.—A singular Custom.—An Incident . . .25
CHAPTER III.
An old Friend.—Brief Account of Yucatan.—Early Voyages of
Discovery.—Columbus.—De Solis and Pinzon.—Expedition of
Cordova.—Voyages of Grijalva.—Expedition of Cortez.—Mis¬
sion of Montejo, who receives a Grant from Charles V.—Dis¬
coveries, Conquests, and Sufferings of Montejo and his Com¬
panions.—Efforts to convert the Natives.—Contreras.—Farther
Particulars relating to the Conquest of Yucatan . . 47
CHAPTER IV.
Political State of Yucatan.—Alliance with Texas.—Presentation
to the Governor.—His Character and Personal Appearance.—
A Cordial Reception.—An Arrival of Strangers.—A Citizen of
the World.—Another old Acquaintance.—Population of Meri¬
da,—Climate.—General Aspect of Merida,—An interesting Ed-
T1
CONTENTS.
ifice.—Mode of naming Streets.—Sculptured Figures.—Church¬
es.—Franciscan Convent.—A Memorial of the Past.—Ruined
Cities of America.—Former Conclusions confirmed Page 80
CHAPTER V.
Daguerreotype Apparatus.—Set up as Ladies’ Daguerreotype Por¬
trait Takers.—Preparations.—A pretty young Lady to begin
with.—Preliminaries.—A Chapter of Contingencies.—Success
of the first Experiment.—Other successful Experiments.—A
Change of Fortune.—Give up this Business.—An Incident.—
Take up the Practice of Surgery.—Operation for Strabismus.
—Details.—First Subject.—A great Gathering of Squint Eyes.
—A troublesome Patient.—A little Hero.—Extraordinary In¬
stance of Fortitude.—A Military Patient.—A Female Patient.
—Practice of Surgery abandoned.—Instability of Fame . 100
CHAPTER VI.
Departure from Merida.—Map of Yucatan.—Timucui.—Tekoh.—
Human Skulls and Bones.—Church of Tekoh.—Convent--n.
revolting Spectacle.—-View from the Top of the Church.—Cura
of Tekoh.—Journey continued.—A curious Basin.—Telchaquil-
lo.—A subterraneous Well.—An extraordinary Cave.—Hacien¬
da of Joaquin. —Ruins of Mayapan.—A remarkable Mound.—
Curious sculptured Remains.—Another extraordinary Cave.—A
circular Edifice.—A double Row of Columns.—Ranges of
Mounds.—Arches.—Derivation of the Word Yucatan.—Ancient
City of Mayapan.119
CHAPTER VII.
An Accident.—Journey continued.—Hacienda of Xcanchakan.—
An Indian Dance.—Whipping an Indian.—Hacienda of Mucuy-
ch6.—A Bath in a Senote.—Hacienda of San Jose.—Arrival at
Uxmal.—First Sight of the Ruins.—Changes since last Visit.—
House of the Dwarf.—House of the Nuns.—Casa del Goberna-
dor.—Residence at the Ruins.—Unpromising Appearances.—
How to make a Fire.—Instance of Perseverance.—Arrival of
Luggage on the Backs of Indians.—First Night at Uxmal . 142
CONTENTS.
Vll
CHAPTER VIII.
Perplexities—Household Wants.—Indian Mode of boiling Eggs.
—Clearings.—A valuable Addition.—Description of the Ruins.
—Casa del Gobernador.—Hieroglyphics.—Ornaments over the
Doorways. — Ground Plan.—Doorways.—Apartments.—Great
Thickness of the back Wall.—A Breach made in the Wall.—
Prints of a Red Hand.—Sculptured Beam of Hieroglyphics.—
Wooden Lintels.—Loss of Antiquities by the Burning of Mr.
Catherwood’s Panorama.—Terraces.—A curious Stone.—Cir¬
cular Mound.—Discovery of a Sculptured Monument.—Square
Stone Structure.—Sculptured Heads. — Staircase.—House of
the Turtles.Page 161
CHAPTER IX.
Journey to Jalacho.—Execrable Road.—Sight of Ruins at Sen-
uisacal.—A motley Multitude.—Village of Becal.—The Cura.
—Breakfast.—Ruins.—Arrival at Jalacho.—A great Fair.—
F6te of Santiago.—Miracles.—Figure of St. James.—Bull-fight
and Bull-fighters.—Horse-market.—Scenes in the Plaza.—Gam¬
bling.—Primitive Circulating Medium.—A Memorial of Home.
—A Ball.—Search for Ruins.—Hacienda of Sijoh.—Mounds of
Ruins.—Remarkable Stones.— A long Edifice.— Hacienda of
Tankuche.— More Ruins. — A plastered Wall covered with
Paintings.—Annoyance from Garrapatas.—Return to the Vil¬
lage.—Ball.—Fireworks.—Condition of the Indians . 187
CHAPTER X.
Sunday.—Mass.—A grand Procession.—Intoxicated Indians.—Set
out for Maxcanu.—A Caricoche.—Scenery.—Arrival at Maxca¬
nu.—Cave of Maxcanu.—Threading a Labyrinth.—An Alarm.—
An abrupt Termination.—Important Discovery.—Labyrinth not
subterraneous.—More Mounds. — Journey continued.—Grand
View.—Another Mound.—An Accident.—Village of Opoche-
que.—View from the Sierra.—More Ruins.—Return to Uxmal.
—Change of Quarters.—An Addition to the Household.—Beau¬
tiful Scene.209
via
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XL
Superintending Indians.—The Storm El Norte.—Arrival of Don
Simon.—Subterraneous Chambers.—Discovery of broken Pot¬
tery and a Terra Cotta Vase.—Great Number of these Cham¬
bers.—Their probable Uses.—Harvest of the Maize Crop.—
Practical Views.—System of Agriculture in Yucatan.—Planting
of Corn.—A primitive Threshing Machine.—News from Home.
—More Practice in Surgery.—A rude Bedstead.—A Leg Pa¬
tient.—An Arm Patient.—Increasing Sickness on the Hacien¬
da.—Death of an Indian Woman.—A Campo Santo.—Digging
a Grave.—An Indian Funeral.Page 225
CHAPTER XII.
Means by which the City was supplied with Water.—Aguadas.—
A delightful Bathing-place. — Manner of Living at the Ruins.
—How to roast a Pig.—Nameless Mound.—Excavations made
in it.—Great Exertions.—A bitter Disappointment.—An Attack
of Fever.—Visit from the Cura of Ticul.—Departure for Ticul.
—A painful Journey.—Arrival at the Convent.—Arrival of Dr.
Cabot, ill with Fever.—Gloomy Prospects.—A simple Remedy
for Fever.— Aspect of Ticul. —The Church.—Funeral Urn. —
Monument and Inscription.—Convent.—Character of the Cura
Carillo.—The Date of the Construction of the Convent un¬
known.— Probably built with the Materials furnished by the
Ruins of former Cities.—Archives of the Convent . . 248
CHAPTER XIII.
Another ruined City.—Relics.—Ruins of San Francisco.—Proved
to be those of the Aboriginal City of the name Ticul.—A beau¬
tiful Vase.—Search for a Sepulchre.—Discovery of a Skeleton
and Vase.—An Indian Needle.—These Cities not built by De¬
scendants of Egyptians.—Their Antiquity not very great.—Ex¬
amination of the Skeleton by Doctor Morton, and his Opinion.
—Mummies from Peru.—These Cities built by the Ancestors
of the present Race of Indians.—The Seybo Tree.—The Campo
Santo.—A quiet Village.271
CONTENTS.
IX
CHAPTER XIV.
Departure from Ticul.—The Sierra.—Nohcacab.—Ruins of Noh-
pat.—Return to Uxmal.—The Campo Santo.—Work of Mr. Wal-
deek.—General Description of the Ruins.—Two ruined Edifices.
—Great Stone Rings.—House of the Nuns.—Dimensions, &c.—
—Courtyard.—Facades.—A lofty Edifice.—Complicated Orna¬
ment.—Painted Fagades.—Sculptured Doorways.—House of
the Birds.—Remains of Painting.—An Arch.—House of the
Dwarf.—Building loaded with Ornaments.—Long and narrow
Structure.—Tasteful Arrangement of Ornaments.—Human Sac¬
rifices.—House of the Pigeons.—Range of Terraces called the
Campo Santo.—House of the Old Woman.—Circular Mound
of Ruins.—Wall of the City.—Close of Description.—Title Pa¬
pers of Uxmal.—Of the Antiquity of Uxmal . . Page 289
CHAPTER XV.
Attacks from Fever and Ague.—Final Departure from Uxmal.—
Newyear’s Day. — Fate of Chaipa Chi. — Painful Journey. —
Chetulish.— Arrival at Nohcacab.— Concourse of Indians.— A
Casa Real.—Plaza.—Improvements.—The Church.—A Noria,
or Well.-—Municipal Elections.—The Democratic Principle.—
Installation of Alcaldes.—Illness of the Cura of Ticul.—Set out
for Ticul.—Intoxicated Carriers.—Accident.—Arrival at Ticul.
—A wandering Physician.—Changed Appearance of the Cura.
—Return to Nohcacab.—Take up Quarters in the Convent. —
Ancient Town of Nohcacab.—Ruined Mounds.—Ruins of Xcoch.
—A Mysterious Well.—Fine Grove.—Circular Cavity.—Mouth
of the Well.—Exploration of its Passages.—Uses of the Well.
—Return to the Village.—Fatal Accident.—A House of Mourn¬
ing.—Ceremony of El Velorio.326
CHAPTER XVI.
Ruins of Nohpat.—A lofty Mound.—Grand View.—Sculptured
Human Figure.—Terraces.—Huge sculptured Figure.—Other
Figures.— Skull and Cross-bones.—Situation of Ruins.—Jour¬
ney to Kabah.—Thatched Huts.—Arrival at the Ruins.—Return
to the Village.—Astonishment of the Indians.—Valuable Ser¬
vant.—Festival of Corpus Alma.—A plurality of Saints.—How
to put a Saint under Patronage.—A Procession.—Fireworks.—
A Ball.—Excess of Female Population.—A Dance . , 364
X
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVII.
Ruins of Kabah. — General Description. — Plan of the Ruins.—
Great Teocalis.—Ruined Apartments.—Grand View.—Terrace
and Buildings.—Ranges of Buildings.—Hieroglyphics.—A rich
Fagade.—Wooden Lintels.—Singular Structures.—Apartments,
&c.—Rankness of Tropical Vegetation.—Edifice called the Co-
cina.—Majestic pile of Buildings. — Apartments, &c.— A soli¬
tary Arch. —A Succession of ruined Buildings. —Apartments,
&c.— Prints of the Red Hand. — Sculptured Lintel. — Instru¬
ments used by the Aboriginals for Carving Wood. — Ruined
Structure.—Ornament in Stucco.—Great ruined Building.—Cu¬
rious Chamber, &c.—Sculptured Jambs.—Another Witness for
these ruined Cities.—Last Visit to Kabah.—Its recent Discov¬
ery.—A great Charnel House.—Funeral Procession.—A Ball by
Daylight.—The Procession of the Candles.—Closing Scene
Page 382
ENGRAVINGS. VOL. I.
1. Frontispiece.
2. A ruined Mound.
•
•
Page.
. 132
3. Sculptured Figures . • • •
•
•
. 134
4. Circular Edifice.
•
•
. 136
5. Hacienda of Xcanchakan
•
. 143
6. Gateway at Mucuyche ....
•
. 147
7. A Senote.
•
. 149
8. Plan of Uxmal.
. 165
9. Ornament over a Doorway .
. 168
10. Ornament called the Elephant’s Trunk
. 170
11. Elephant’s Trunk in Profile .
. 171
12. Southern End of Casa del Gobernador •
. 174
13. Ground Plan of Casa del Gobernador .
. 175
14. Double-headed Lynx ....
. 183
15. House of the Turtles ....
. 184
16. Aguada at Uxmal ....
. 249
17. Ticul Vase.
. 275
18. SeyboTree.
. 286
19. Plan of the Monjas ....
. 301
20. Part of the Fa£ade of the Monjas .
. 302
21. Entwined Serpents over a Doorway
. 303
22. View from the Nuns .
. 305
23. East Side of the Courtyard of the Monjas
. 306
24. Southeast Corner of the Monjas .
. 307
25. Interior of an Apartment
. 309
26. House of the Birds ....
27. West Front of the House of the Dwarf
•
. 312
28. East Front of the House of the Dwarf .
•
. 316
29. Front of the Casa de Palamos
•
. 318
30. A Noria, or Well.
. 334
31. Mound at Xcoch.
. 350
32. Mound at Nohpat.
. 362
33. Colossal Stone Figure ....
. 364
34. Sculptured Stone Figure . . •
. 366
XU ENGRAVINGS.
Page.
35. Skull and Crossbones.367
36. Street in the Village of Nohcacab ...... 369
37. Plan of Kabah.385
38. Building (Casa No. 1) . . ..... . 387
39. Portion of a richly-sculptured Fa§ade.388
40. Interior of an Apartment.391
41. Rankness of Tropical Vegetation.393
42. Building (Casa No. 2).397
43. Building (Casa No. 3).. . 398
44. Triumphal Arch.400
45. Carved Wooden Beam.405
46. Stucco Ornament.410
47. Sculptured Stone Jamb.412
48. Sculptured Stone Jamb.412
49. Charnel House and Convent.416
50. Skull.418
51. Triangular Arch.430
52. Gothic Arch.432
53. Cyclopean Arch.432
54. Arch used by the ancient American Builders . . . 433
MAP or
Note . The outline of the Coast is taken from the English and Spanish charts,
chiefly from the former, and is supposed to be accurate.
The dotted line - points out ow route from Sisal, to otm j-etiun to t/ud
Tort, and is /rtincipally laid down irom bearings, and distances, and of
course only approximates to correctness.
The Tatdudes ofJferida and ZscmaZ. are laid down from meridian altitudes
of the Sun.
, The Tlaces engraved in outline letters, a re taken from manuscript rruips,
. and are probably very far from accurate, no survey of the country having
ever been made and published.
Aline _ thus urtderthe name ofa-Tlace signifies that //ere are ruins there.
TointTuh
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL
IN
YUCATAN.
CHAPTER I.
Embarcation.—Fellow-passengers.—A Gale at Sea.—Arrival at
Sisal.—Ornithological Specimens.—Merida.—F§te of San Cris-
toval.—The Lottery.—A Scene of Confusion.—Principle of the
Game.—Passion for Gambling.—A deformed Indian.
The reader of my “ Incidents of Travel in Cen¬
tral America, Chiapas, and Yucatan,” may remem¬
ber that the researches of Mr. Catherwood and my¬
self in the last-mentioned country were abruptly
terminated by the illness of the former. During our
short sojourn in Yucatan, we received vague, but, at
the same time, reliable intelligence of the existence
of numerous and extensive cities, desolate and in
ruins, which induced us to believe that the country
presented a greater field for antiquarian research
and discoveries than any we had yet visited. Un¬
der these circumstances, it was a severe hardship
that we were compelled to leave it, and our only
consolation in doing so was the hope of being able
to return, prepared to make a thorough exploration
of this unknown and mysterious region. In about
a year we found ourselves in a condition to do so;
and on Monday, the ninth of October, we put to
10
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
sea on board the bark Tennessee, Scholefield mas¬
ter, for Sisal, the port from which we had sailed on
our return to the United States.
The Tennessee was a down-Easter of two hun¬
dred and sixty tons burden, turned out apparently
from one of those great factories where ships are
built by the mile and chopped off to order, but stout,
strong, well manned and equipped.
Her cargo was assorted for the Yucatan market,
and consisted of a heavy stratum of iron at the bot¬
tom ; midway were miscellanies, among which were
cotton, muskets, and two hundred barrels of turpen¬
tine ; and on top, within reach of the hatches, were
six hundred kegs of gunpowder.
We had a valuable addition to our party in Dr.
Cabot, of Boston, who accompanied us as an ama¬
teur, particularly as an ornithologist. Besides him,
our only fellow-passenger was Mr. Camerden, who
went out as supercargo.
The first morning out we woke with an extraor¬
dinary odour of turpentine, giving us apprehensions
that a barrel had sprung a leak, which, by means of
the cotton, might use up our gunpowder before it
came to the hands of its consignee. This odour,
however, was traced to a marking-pot, which quiet¬
ed our apprehensions.
On the evening of the fourth day we had a severe
thunder-storm. This was an old acquaintance of
ours in the tropics, but one which at that time we
were not disposed to welcome very cordially. Peals
THE VOYAGE.-A GALE AT SEA. 11
of thunder broke and crashed close over our heads,
lightning flashed across the dark vault of the heav¬
ens, lighting up the surface of the water, and making
fearfully visible our little vessel, tossing and pitching,
a mere speck in immensity; and at times an angry ray
darted toward the horizon, as if expressly to ignite
our gunpowder. We discussed, though rather dis-
jointedly, the doctrine of conductors and non-con¬
ductors, and advised the captain to put a few links
of a chain cable round the mainmast, and carry the
end of it over the side. We had some consolation in
thinking that six hundred kegs were no worse than
sixty, and that six would do our business; but, in
fact, at the moment, we were very much of opinion
that lightning and gunpowder were the only dan¬
gers of the sea. The night, however, wore through,
and morning brought with it the usual, and, unhap¬
pily, almost the only change in those who go down
to the sea in ships—forgetfulness of past danger.
On the evening of the seventeenth we passed, with
a gentle breeze, the narrow passage known as the
Hole in the Wall, and before morning we were ly¬
ing broadside to the wind, and almost flying before
it. The gale was terrific ; nothing could stand up¬
right to windward, and the sea was portentous.
The captain sat under the quarter rail, watching
the compass, and turning anxiously to the misty
quarter of the heavens from which the winds seem¬
ed let loose. At breakfast large drops of sweat
stood on his forehead; and though at first unwilling
12
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
to admit it even to himself, we discovered that we
were really in danger. We were driving, as fast as
the wind could send us, upon the range of sunken
rocks known as Abaco reef. Directly under our lee
was the worst part of the whole reef, marked on the
chart “Dangerous rocky shore.” Unless the gale
abated or the wind hauled, in eight or ten hours we
must strike. I must confess I saw but little hope of
a change, and this rocky reef was but a few feet un¬
der water, and twenty miles distant from terra firma.
If the vessel struck, she must go to pieces; nothing
made by man’s hands could stand against the fury
of the sea, and every moment we were nearer de¬
struction. We sat with the chart before us, look¬
ing at it as a sentenced convict might look at an
advertisement of the time fixed for his execution.
The sunken rocks seemed to stand out horribly on
the paper; and though every glance at the sea told
us that with daylight no human strength could pre¬
vail agaiifet it, it added to our uncomfortable feel¬
ings to know that it would be nearly night when
the crisis arrived. We had but one consolation—
there were no women or children on board. All
were able-bodied men, capable of doing all that men
could do in a struggle for life. But, fortunately for
the reader of these pages, to say nothing of the re¬
lief to ourselves, at one o’clock the wind veered;
we got on a little canvass; the good ship struggled
for her life ; by degrees she turned her back upon
danger, and at night we were again on our way re¬
joicing.
ARRIVAL AT SISAL.
13
On the twenty-seventh we furled sails off the port
of Sisal. Five vessels were at anchor, an extraor¬
dinary circumstance for Sisal, and fortunate for us,
because otherwise, as our captain had never been
there before, though carefully looking for it, we
might not have been able to find it. Our anchorage
ground was on the open coast, two or three miles
from land, at which distance it was necessary to
keep, lest we should be driven ashore in case of a
norther. Captain Scliolefield, in fact, before he had
discharged his cargo, was obliged to slip his cables
and put to sea, and did not get back to his anchor¬
age ground in nine days.
It was only four o’clock in the afternoon, but, by
the regulations of the port, no passenger could land
until the vessel had been visited by the health and
custom-house officers. We looked out till dark, and
long after the moon rose, but no notice whatever
was taken of us, and, with no very amiable feelings
toward the lazy officials, we turned in again on
board.
In the morning, when we went on deck, we saw
anchored under our stern the brig Lucinda, in which
we had thought of taking passage; she had sailed
from New-York four days after we did, and arrived
during the night.
Very soon we saw coming off toward us the sep¬
arate canoas of the health and custom-house offi¬
cers. We were boarded by a very little man with
a very big mustache, who was seasick before he
2
14
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
mounted the deck, and in a few minutes betook him¬
self to a berth. The preliminaries, however, were
soon settled, and we went ashore. All disposition
we might have had to complain the night before
ceased on landing. Our former visit was not for¬
gotten. The account of it had been translated and
published, and, as soon as the object of our return
was known, every facility was given us, and all our
trunks, boxes, and multifarious luggage were passed
without examination by the custom-house officers.
The little town of Sisal had not increased either
in houses or inhabitants, and did not present any
additional inducements to remain in it. The same
afternoon we sent off our luggage in a carreta for
Merida, and the next morning started in calezas
ourselves.
From the suburbs of the town the plain was in¬
undated, and for more than a mile our horses were
above their knees in water. When we passed be¬
fore, this ground was dry, parched, and cracking
open. It was now the last of the rainy season, and
the great body of water, without any stream by
which to pass off, was drying up under a scorching
sun, to leave the earth infected with malaria.
We had arrived in the fulness of tropical vegeta¬
tion ; the stunted trees along the road were in their
deepest green, and Dr. Cabot opened to us a new
source of interest and beauty. In order to begin
business at once, he rode in the first caleza alone,
and before he had gone far, we saw the barrel of his
MERIDA.
15
gun protrude on one side, and a bird fall. He had
seen at Sisal, egretes, pelicans, and ducks which
were rare in collections at home, and an oscillated
wild turkey, which alone he thought worth the voy¬
age to that place; and now, our attention being par¬
ticularly directed to the subject, in some places the
shrubs and bushes seemed brilliant with the plumage
and vocal with, the notes of birds. On the road he
saw four different species which are entirely un¬
known in the United States, and six others which
are found only in Louisiana and Florida, of most of
which he procured specimens.
We stopped at Huncuma during the heat of the
day; at dark reached Merida, and once more rode
up to the house of Dona Micaela. Coming di¬
rectly from home, we were not so much excited as
when we reached it after a toilsome and comfortless
journey in Central America; but even now it would
ill become me to depreciate it, for the donna had
read the account of my former visit to Merida, and
she said, with an emphasis that covered all the rest,
that the dates of arrival and departure as therein
mentioned corresponded exactly with the entries in
her book.
We had arrived at Merida at an opportune mo¬
ment. As on the occasion of our first visit, it was
again a season of fiesta. The fete of San Cristoval,
an observance of nine days, was then drawing to
its close, and that evening a grand function was to
be performed in the church dedicated to that saint.
16
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
We had no time to lose, and, after a hasty supper,
under the guidance of an Indian lad belonging to
the house, we set out for the church. Very soon
we were in the main street leading to it, along which,
as it seemed, the whole population of Merida was
moving to the fete. In every house a lantern hung
from the balconied windows, or a long candle stood
under a glass shade, to light them on their way.
At the head of the street was a large plaza, on one
side of which stood the church, with its great front
brilliantly illuminated, and on the platform and steps,
and all the open square before it, was a great mo¬
ving mass of men, women, and children, mostly In¬
dians, dressed in white.
We worked our way up to the door, and found
the church within a blaze of light. Two rows of
high candlesticks, with wax candles eight or ten feet
high, extended the whole length from the door to
the altar. On each side hung innumerable lamps,
dotting the whole space from the floor to the ceil¬
ing ; and back at the extreme end, standing on an
elevated platform, was an altar thirty feet high, rich
with silver ornaments and vases of flowers, and
hung with innumerable lamps brilliantly burning.
Priests in glittering vestments were officiating be¬
fore it, music was swelling through the corridor and
arches, and the floor of the immense church was
covered with women on their knees, dressed in
white, with white shawls over their heads. Through
the entire body of the church not a man was to be
A FESTIVAL OF THE CHURCH.
17
seen. Near us was a bevy of young girls, beauti¬
fully dressed, with dark eyes, and their hair adorned
with flowers, sustaining, though I was now a year
older and colder, my previous impressions of the
beauty of the ladies of Merida.
The chant died away, and as the women rose
from their knees, their appearance was like the lift¬
ing of a white cloud, or spirits of air rising to a
purer world; but, as they turned toward the door,
the horizon became dusky with Indian faces, and
half way up a spot rose above the rest, black as a
thunder-cloud. The whole front ranks were In¬
dians, except a towering African, whose face, in the
cloud of white around, shone like the last touch of
Day and Martin’s best.
We waited till the last passed out, and, leaving
the empty church blazing with light, with rockets,
fireworks, drums, and violins all working away to¬
gether on the steps, we followed the crowd.
Turning along the left side of the plaza, we en¬
tered an illuminated street, at the foot of which, and
across it, hung a gigantic cross, also brilliantly illu¬
minated, and apparently stopping thfer way. Coming
as we did directly from the church, it seemed to
have some immediate connexion with the ceremo¬
nies we had just beheld; but the crowd stopped short
of the cross, opposite a large house, also brilliantly
illuminated. The door of this house, like that of
the church, was open to all who chose to enter, or
rather, at that moment, to all who could force their
Vol. I.—C
18 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
way through. Waiting the motion of the mass be¬
fore us, and pressed by those behind, slowly, and
with great labour, we worked our way into the sala.
This was a large room extending along the whole
front of the house, hot to suffocation, and crowded,
or rather jammed, with men and women, or gentle¬
men and ladies, or by whatever other names they
may be pleased to be called, clamorous and noisy as
Bedlam let loose. For some time it was impossible
for us to form any idea of what was going on. By
degrees we were carried lengthwise through the
sala, at every step getting elbowed, stamped upon,
and occasionally the rim of a straw hat across the
nose, or the puff of a paper cigar in the eyes. Very
soon our faces were trickling w T ith tears, which
there was no friendly hand to wipe away, our own
being pinned down to our sides.
On each side of the sala was a rude table, occu¬
pying its whole length, made of two rough boards,
and supporting candles stuck in little tin receivers,
about two feet apart. Along the tables were benches
of the same rough materials, with men and women,
whites, Mestizoes, and Indians, all sitting together,
as close as the solidity and resistance of human
flesh would permit, and seemingly closer than was
sufferable. Every person at the table had before him
or her a paper about a foot square, covered with
figures in rows, and a small pile of grains of corn,
and by its side a thumping stick some eighteen
inches long, and one in diameter; while, amid all
A MODERN BABEL.
19
the noise, hubbub, and confusion, the eyes of all at
the tables were bent constantly upon the papers be¬
fore them. In that hot place, they seemed like a
host of necromancers and witches, some of the lat¬
ter young and extremely pretty, practising the black
art.
By degrees we were passed out into the corridox - ,
and here we were brought to a dead stand. Within
arm’s length was an imp of a boy, apparently the
ringleader in this nocturnal orgy, who stood on a
platform, rattling a bag of balls, and whose uninter¬
mitted screeching, singsong cries had throughout
risen shrill and distinct above every other sound.
At that moment the noise and uproar were carried
to the highest. The whole house seemed rising
against the boy, and he, single-handed, or rather
single-tongued, was doing battle with the whole,
sending forth a clear stream of vocal power, which
for a while bore its way triumphantly through the
whole troubled waters, till, finding himself ovex - -
powered by the immense majority, with a tone that
set the whole mass in a roar, and showed his dem¬
ocratic principles, he cried out, “Vox populi est
vox Dei!” and submitted.
Along the corridor, and in the whole area of the
patio, or courtyard, were tables, and benches, and
papers, and grains of corn, and ponderous sticks,
the same as in the sala, and men and women sitting
as close together. The passages were choked up,
and over the heads of those sitting at the tables, all
20
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
within reach were bending their eyes earnestly upon
the mysterious papers. They were grayheads,
boys and girls, and little children; fathers and moth¬
ers ; husbands and wives; masters and servants; men
high in office, muleteers, and bull-fighters; senoras
and senoritas, with jewels around their necks and
roses in their hair, and Indian women; worth only
the slight covering they had on; beauty and deform¬
ity ; the best and the vilest in Merida; perhaps, in
all, two thousand persons ; and this great multitude,
many of whom we had seen but a few minutes before
on their knees in the church, and among them the
fair bevy of girls who had stood by us on the steps,
were now assembled in a public gambling-house ! a
beautiful spectacle for a stranger the first night of
his arrival in the capital!
But the devil is not so black as he is painted. I
do not mean to offer any apology for gambling, in
Yucatan, as in all the rest of Mexico, the bane and
scourge of all ranks of society; but Merida is> in a
small way, a city of my love, and I would fain raise
this great mass of people from the gulf into which I
have just plunged them: at least, I would lift then-
heads a little above water.
The game which they were engaged in playing
is called La Loteria, or the Lottery. It is a favour¬
ite amusement throughout all the Mexican provin¬
ces, and extends to every village in Yucatan. It is
authorized by the government, and, as was former¬
ly the case to a pernicious extent with the lotteries
THE LOTTERY.
21
in our own country, is used as an instrument to raise
money, either for the use of the government itself, or
for other purposes which are considered deserving.
The principle of the game, or the scheme, consists of
different combinations of numbers, from one to nine¬
ty, which are written on papers, nine rows on each
side, with five figures in each row. As ninety fig¬
ures admit of combinations to an almost indefinite
extent, any number of papers can be issued, each
containing a different series of combinations. These
papers are stamped by the government, and sold at
a real, or twelve and a half cents each. Every play¬
er purchases one of these papers, and fastens it to
the table before him with a wafer. A purse is then
made up, each player putting in a certain sum, which
is collected by a boy in a hat. The boy with the
bag of balls then announces, or rather sings out, the
amount of the purse, and rattling his bag of balls,
draws out one, and sings the number drawn. Eve¬
ry player marks on his paper with a grain of corn
the number called off, and the one who is first able to
mark five numbers in a row wins the purse. This
he announces by rapping on the table with the stick,
and standing up in his place. The boy sings over
again the numbers drawn, and if, on comparison, all
is found right, delivers the purse. The game is then
ended, and another begins. Sometimes mistakes
occur, and it was a mistake that led to the extraor¬
dinary clamour and confusion we had found on
reaching the neighbourhood of the boy.
22
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
The amount played for will give some idea of the
character of the game. Before commencing, the
boy called out that the stake should in no case ex¬
ceed two reals. This, however, was considered too
high, and it was fixed by general consent at a me¬
dio, or six and a quarter cents. The largest amount
proclaimed by the boy was twenty-seven dollars
and three reals, which, divided among four hundred
and thirty-eight players, did not make very heavy
gambling. In fact, an old gentleman near whom I
w 7 as standing told me it was a small affair, and not
worth learning; but he added that there was a place
in the neighbourhood where they played monte for
doubloons. The whole amount circulated during
the evening fell far short of what is often exchanged
at a small party in a private drawing-room at home,
and among those who would not relish the imputa¬
tion of being accounted gamblers. In fact, it is per¬
haps but just to say that this great concourse of peo¬
ple was not brought together by the spirit of gam¬
bling. The people of Merida are fond of amuse¬
ments, and in the absence of theatres and other pub¬
lic entertainments, the loteria is a great gathering-
place, where persons of all ages and classes go to
meet acquaintances. Rich and poor, great and
small, meet under the same roof on a footing of per¬
fect equality; good feeling is cultivated among all
without any forgetting their place. Whole families
go thither together; young people procure seats
near each other, and play at more desperate games
PASSION FOR GAMBLING.
23
than the loteria, where hearts, or at least hands, are
at stake, and perhaps that night some bold player,
in losing his medios, drew a richer prize than the
large purse of twenty-seven dollars and three reals.
In fact, the loteria is considered merely an acces¬
sory to the pleasures of social intercourse ; and, in¬
stead of gaming, it might be called a grand conver-
sacione, but not very select; at least such was our
conclusion; and there was something to make us
rather uncharitable, for the place was hot enough
to justify an application to it of the name bestowed
in common parlance on the gambling-houses of
London and Paris.
At about eleven o’clock we left. On our way
down the street we passed the open door of a house
in which were tables piled with gold and silver, and
men around playing what, in the opinion of my old
adviser of the loteria, was a game worth learning.
We returned to the house, and found, what in our
haste to be at the fiesta we had paid no attention
to, that Dona Micaela could give us but one room,
and that a small one, and near the door. As we ex¬
pected to remain some days in Merida, we deter¬
mined the next morning to take a house and go to
housekeeping. While arranging ourselves for the
night, we heard a loud, unnatural noise at the door,
and, going out, found rolling over the pavement the
Cerberus of the mansion, an old Indian miserably
deformed, with his legs drawn up, his back down,
his neck and head thrust forward, and his eyes start-
24
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ing from their sockets ; he was entertaining himself
with an outrageous soliloquy in the Maya tongue,
and at our appearance he pitched his voice higher
than before. Signs and threats had no effect. Se¬
cure in his deformity, he seemed to feel a malicious
pleasure that he had it in his power to annoy us.
We gave up, and while he continued rolling out
tremendous Maya, we fell asleep. So passed our
first night in Merida.
HOUSEKEEPING.
25
CHAPTER II.
Housekeeping.—Description of a Bull-ring.—A Bull-fight.—Spec¬
tators.—Brutal Torments inflicted on the Bulls.—Serious Acci¬
dents.—A noble Beast.—An exciting Scene.—Victims to Bull¬
fighting.—Danger and Ferocity of Bull-fights.—Effects on moral
Character.—Grand Mass.—A grand Procession.—The Alameda.
—Calezas.—A Concert, and its Arrangements.—Fete of Todos
Santos.—A singular Custom.—An Incident.
Early the next morning the carreta arrived with
our luggage, and, to avoid the trouble of loading
and unloading, we directed it to remain at the door,
and set out immediately to look for a house. We
had not much time, and, consequently, but little
choice ; but, with the help of Doha Micaela, in
half an hour we found one that answered our pur¬
pose. We returned and started the carreta; an
Indian followed, carrying on his head a table, and
on the top of it a washhand-basin; another with
three chairs, all Doha Micaela’s, and we closed
the procession.
Our house was in the street of the Flamingo.
Like most of the houses in Merida, it was built of
stone, and had one story ; the front was about thir¬
ty feet, and had a sala covering the whole, about
twenty feet in depth. The ceiling was perhaps
eighteen feet high, and the walls had wooden knobs
for fastening hammocks. Behind the sala was a
broad corridor, opening on a courtyard, at one side
Vol. I.—D 3
26
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
of which w r as a sleeping-room, and at the back of
that a comeder or eating-room. The floors were
all of hard cement. The courtyard was about thir¬
ty feet square, with high stone walls, and a well in
the centre. Next, running across the lot, was a
kitchen, with a sleeping-room for servants, and back
of that another courtyard, forty feet deep, with stone
walls fifteen feet high; and in order that my inquiring
fellow-citizens may form some idea of the com¬
parative value of real estate in Merida and New-
York, I mention that the rent was four dollars per
month, which for three persons we did not consider
extravagant. We had our own travelling beds, the
table, washhand-basin, and chairs set up, and before
breakfast our house was furnished.
In the mean time the fiesta of San Cristoval was
going on. Grand mass was over, and the next cer¬
emony in order was a corrida de toros, or bull-fight,
to commence at ten o’clock.
The Plaza de Toros, or, in English, the bull-ring,
■was in the square of the church of San Cristoval.
The enclosure or place for spectators occupied near¬
ly the whole of the square, a strange and very ori¬
ginal structure, which in its principles would as¬
tonish a European architect. It was a gigantic cir¬
cular scaffpld, perhaps fifteen hundred feet in cir¬
cumference, capable of containing four or five thou¬
sand persons, erected and held together without the
use of a single nail, being made of rude poles, just as
they were cut in the woods, and tied together with
DESCRIPTION OF A BULL-RING.
27
withes. The interior was enclosed by long poles,
crossing and interlacing each other, leaving only an
opening for the door, and was divided in like man¬
ner by poles into boxes. The whole formed a gi¬
gantic frame of rustic lattice-work, admirably adapt¬
ed for that hot climate, as it admitted a free circu¬
lation of air. The top was covered with an arbour
made of the leaves of the American palm. The
•whole structure was simple and curious. Every
Indian could assist in building it, and when the fies¬
ta was over it could be torn down, and the materials
used for firewood.
The corrida had begun when we arrived on the
ground, and the place was already thronged. There
was a great choice of seats, as one side was exposed
to the full blaze of the sun. Over the doors were
written Palco No. 1, Palco No. 2, &c., and each box
had a separate proprietor, who stood in the doorway,
with a little rickety step-ladder of three or four steps,
inviting customers. One of them undertook to pro¬
vide for us, and for two reals apiece we were con¬
ducted to front seats. It was, if possible, hotter than
at the loteria, and in the movement and confusion
of passing us to our seats, the great scaffold trem¬
bled, and seemed actually swaying to and fro under
its living load.
The spectators were of all classes, colours, and
ages, from gray heads to children asleep in their
mother’s arms; and next to me was a half-blooded
maternal head of a family, with the key of her house
28
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
in her hand, her children tucked in between the legs
of her neighbours, or under their chairs. At the
feet of those sitting on the front seats was a row of
boys and girls, with their little heads poked through
the railing, and all around hung down a variegated
fringe-work of black and white legs. Opposite, and
on the top of the scaffold, was a band of music, the
leader of which wore a shining black mask, cari¬
caturing a negro.
A bull was in the ring, two barbed darts trimmed
with blue and yellow paper were hanging from his
flanks, and his neck was pierced with wounds, from
which ran down streams of blood. The picadores
stood aloof with bloody spears in their hands; a
mounted dragoon was master of ceremonies, and
there were, besides, eight or ten vaqueros, or cattle-
tenders, from the neighbouring haciendas, hard ri¬
ders, and brought up to deal with cattle that run
wild in the woods. These were dressed in pink-
coloured shirt and trousers, and wore small hats of
straw platted thick, with low round crowns, and
narrow brims turned up at the side. Their saddles
had large leathern flaps, covering half the body of
the horse, and each had a lazo, or coil of rope, in
his hand, and a pair of enormous iron spurs, perhaps
six inches long, and weighing two or three pounds,
which, contrasted with their small horses, gave a sort
of Bombastes Furioso character to their appearance.
By the order of the dragoon, these vaqueros, striking
their coils of rope against the large flaps of their sad-
A BUL L-FI G H T.
29
dies, started the bull, and, chasing him round the
ring, with a few throws of the lazo caught him by
the horns and dragged him to a post at one side of
the ring, where, riding off with the rope, they hauled
his head down to the ground close against the post.
Keeping it down in that position, some of the oth¬
ers passed a rope twice round his body just behind
the fore legs, and, securing it on the back, passed it
under his tail, and returning it, crossed it with the
coils around his body. Two or three men on each
side then hauled upon the rope, which cut into and
compressed the bull’s chest, and by its tightness un¬
der the tail almost lifted his hind legs from off the
ground. This was to excite and madden him. The
poor animal bellowed, threw himself on the ground,
and kicked and struggled to get rid of the brutal tie.
From the place where we sat we had in full view
the front of the church of San Cristoval, and over
the door we read in large characters, “Hie est domus
Dei, hie est porta cceli.” “ Here is the house of God,
here is the gate of heaven.”
But they had yet another goad for the bull.
Watching narrowly that the ropes around his horns
did not get loose, they fixed upon his back the
figure of a soldier in a cocked hat, seated in a
saddle. This excited a great laugh among the
spectators. We learned that both the saddle and
the figure of the soldier were made of wood,
paper, and gunpowder, composing a formidable
piece of fireworks. When this was fairly secur-
30
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ed, all fell back, and the picadores, mounted, and
with their spears poised, took their places in the
ring. The band, perhaps in compliment to us, and
to remind us of home, struck up the beautiful na¬
tional melody of “Jim Crow.” A villanous-look-
ing fellow set off large and furiously-whizzing rock¬
ets within a few feet of the bull; another fired in
the heel the figure of the soldier on his back ; the
spectators shouted, the rope was slipped, and the
bull let loose.
His first dash was perfectly furious. Bounding
forward and throwing up his hind legs, maddened
by the shouts of the crowd, and the whizzing and
explosion, fire and smoke of the engine of torture on
his back, he dashed blindly at every picador, re¬
ceiving thrust after thrust with the spear, until, amid
the loud laughter and shouts of the spectators, the
powder burned out, and the poor beast, with gaping
wounds, and blood streaming from them, turned and
ran, bellowed for escape at the gate of entrance,
and then crawled around the wall of the ring, look¬
ing up to the spectators, and with imploring eyes
seemed pleading to the mild faces of the women for
mercy.
In a few minutes he was lazoed and dragged off,
and he had hardly disappeared when another was
led in, the manner of whose introduction seemed
more barbarous and brutal than any of the torments
inflicted on the former. It was by a rope two or
three hundred feet long, passed through the fleshy
BRUTAL USAGE.
31
part of the bull’s nose, and secured at both ends to
the vaquero’s saddle. In this way he was hauled
through the streets and into the ring. Another
vaquero followed, with a lazo over the horns, to hold
the bull back, and keep him from rushing upon his
leader. In the centre of the ring the leader loosed
one end of the rope, and, riding on, dragged it trail¬
ing on the ground its whole length, perhaps a hun¬
dred yards, through the bull’s nose, leaving a crust
of dirt on one side as it came out bloody on the
other. The bull, held back by the rope over his
horns, stood with his neck outstretched; and when
the end of the rope passed through, he licked his
gory nose, pawed the ground, and bellowed.
He was then lazoed, dragged up to the post, girt
with the rope around his body like the other, and
then, amid bursts of music, rockets, and shouts,
again let loose. The chulos went at him, flaring
before him with the left hand red and yellow pon-
chas, and holding in the right darts containing fire¬
works, and ornamented with yellow paper cut into
slips. These they thrust into his neck and flanks.
The current of air accelerated the ignition of the
fire; and when the fireworks exploded, the paper
still rattled about his ears. The picadores then
mounted their horses; but, after a few thrusts of the
spear, the bull flinched, and the spectators, indignant
that he did not show more fight, cried out, “ Saca
esa vaca /” “Take out that cotv!”
32
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
The next was hauled on in the same way by a
rope through his nose. He was girt with the rope,
tortured with darts, speared by the picadores on
horseback, and, as he did not show good fight, they
dismounted and attacked him on foot. This is con¬
sidered the most dangerous contest both for man
and beast. The picadores formed in front of him,
each with a black or yellow poncha in his left hand,
and poising his spear with the right. They stood
with their legs extended and knees bent, so as to
keep a firm foothold, changing position by a spring
forward or backward, on one side or the other, to
meet the movement of the bull’s head. The object
was to strike between the horns into the back of the
neck. Two or three struck him fairly with a cutting,
heavy sound, and drew out their spears reeking with
blood. One man misdirected his blow; the bull
threw up his neck with the long handle of the spear
standing upright in it, and rushing upon the picador,
hurled him to the ground, and passed over his body,
seeming to strike him with all four of his hoofs.
The man never moved, but lay on his back, with his
arms outstretched, apparently dead. The bull mo¬
ved on with the handle of the spear still standing up
in his neck, a terror to all in the ring. The vaqueros
went in pursuit of him with the lazos, and, chasing
him round, the spear fell out, and they caught him.
In the mean time, the fallen man was picked up by
some of his companions, and carried off, doubled up,
A POPULAR FAVOURITE.
33
and apparently cured forever of bull-fighting. We
heard afterward that he only had some of his ribs
broken.
He was hardly out of sight when the accident
was forgotten; the bull was again assaulted, worried
out, and dragged off. Others followed, making eight
in all. At twelve o’clock.the church bells rang and
the fight ended, but, as we were dispersing, we were
reminded that another would begin, at four o’clock
in the afternoon.
At four we were again in our places. Our special
reason for following up this sport so closely was be¬
cause we were advised that in the morning common
people only attended, but that in the afternoon all
the gente decente, or upper classes, of Merida would
be present. I am happy to say, however, that this
was not true, and the only sensible difference that
we noticed was, that it was more crowded and hot¬
ter, and that the price of admission was double.
This was the last corrida of the fiesta, and some
of the best bulls had been kept in reserve. The
first that was dragged on was received with accla¬
mations, as having distinguished himself before du¬
ring the fiesta; but he bore an ugly mark for a fa¬
vourite of the people, having been dragged by the
nose till the cartilage was completely torn out by
the rope.
The next would have been worthy of the best
bull-fights of Old Spain, when the cavalier, at the
glance of his lady’s eye, leaped into the ring to play
Vol. I.—E
34
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the matador with his sword. He was a large black
bull, without any particular marks of ferocity about
him ; but a man who sat in our box, and for whose
judgment I had conceived a great respect, lighted a
new straw cigar, and pronounced him “ muy bravo!’
There was no bellowing, blustering, or bravado
about him, but he showed a calmness and self-
possession which indicated a consciousness of
strength. The picadores attacked him on horse¬
back, and, like the Noir Faineant, or Sluggish
Knight, in the lists at Ashby, for a time he content¬
ed himself with merely repelling the attacks of his
assailants; but suddenly, as if a little vexed, he laid
his head low, looked up at the spears pointed at his
neck, and, shutting his eyes, rushed upon a picador
on one side, struck his horse in the belly with his
horns, lifted him off his feet, and brought horse and
rider headlong to the ground. The horse fell upon
the rider, rolled completely over him, with his heels
in the air, and rose with one of the rider’s feet en¬
tangled in the stirrup. For an instant he stood
like a breathing statue, with nostrils wide and ears
thrown back, wild with fright; and then, catching
sight of the bull, he sprang clear of the ground, and
dashed off at full speed around the ring, dragging
after him the luckless picador. Around he went,
senseless and helpless, his whole body grimed with
dirt, and with no more life in it, apparently, than in
a mere log of wood. At every bound it seemed as
if the horse must strike his hind hoofs into his fore-
VICTIMS TO BUL L-F I G H T I N G. 35
head. A cold shudder ran through the spectators.
The man was a favourite; he had friends and rel¬
atives present, and everybody knew his name. A
deep murmur of “ El Poire’ burst from every bo¬
som. I felt actually lifted from my seat, and the
president of the Life and Trust would not have
given a policy upon him for any premium. The
picadores looked on aghast; the bull was roaming
loose in the ring, perhaps the only indifferent spec¬
tator. My own feelings were roused against his
companions, who, after what seemed an age of the
rack, keeping a special good lookout upon the bull,
at length started in pursuit with lazos, caught the
horse around the neck, and brought him up head¬
long. The picadores extricated their fallen com¬
panion, and carried him out. His face was so be¬
grimed with dirt that not a feature was visible;
but, as he was borne across the ring, he opened his
eyes, and they seemed starting from his head with
terror.
He was hardly out of the ring when a hoarse cry
ran through the spectators, “ a pie! a pie !” “ on
foot! on foot!” The picadores dismounted and at¬
tacked the bull fiercely on foot, flourishing their
ponchas. Almost at the first thrust he rushed upon
one of his adversaries, tumbled him down, passed
over his body, and walked on without even turning
round to look at him. He too was picked up and
carried off.
The attack was renewed, and the bull became
36
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
roused. In a few moments he brought another pic¬
ador to the ground, and, carried on by his own im¬
petus, passed over the body, but, with a violent ef¬
fort, recovered himself, and turned short round upon
his prostrate prey, glared over him for a moment
with a low bellow, almost a howl, and, raising his
fore feet a little from the ground, so as to give full
force to the blow, thrust both horns into the stomach
of the fallen picador. Happily, the points were
sawed off; and, furious at not being able to gore and
toss him, he got one horn under the picador’s sash,
lifted him, and dashed him back violently upon the
ground. Accustomed as the spectators were to
scenes of this kind, there was a universal burst of
horror. Not a man moved to save him. It would,
perhaps, be unjust to brand them as cowards, for,
brutal and degrading as their tie was, they doubtless
had a feeling of companionship ; but, at all events,
not a man attempted to save him, and the bull, after
glaring over him, smelling and pawing him for a
moment, to all a moment of intense excitement,
turned away and left him.
This man, too, was carried off. The sympathy
of the spectators had for a while kept them hushed ;
but, as soon as the man was out of sight, all their
pent-up feelings broke out in indignation against the
bull, and there was a universal cry, in which the
soft tones of women mingled with the hoarse voices
of the men, “ Matalo ! matalo!” “ Kill him ! kill
him !” The picadores stood aghast. Three of their
FEROCITY OF BULL-FIGHTS.
37
companions had been struck down and carried off
the field ; the bull, pierced in several places, with
blood streaming from him, bat fresh as when he be¬
gan, and fiercer, was roaming round the ring, and
they held back, evidently afraid to attack him. The
spectators showered upon them the opprobrious
name of “ cobardes l cobardes T “cowards! cowards!”
The dragoon enforced obedience to their voice, and,
fortifying themselves with a strong draught of agua
ardiente, they once more faced the bull, poised their
spears before him, but with faint hands and trem¬
bling hearts, and finally, without a single thrust, amid
the contemptuous shouts of the crowd, fell back,
and left the bull master of the field.
Others were let in, and it was almost dark when
the last fight ended. With the last bull the ring was
opened to the boys, who, amid roars of laughter,
pulled, hauled, and hustled him till he could hardly
stand, and, amid the solemn tones of the vesper bell,
the bull-fight in honour of San Cristoval ended.
Modern laws, we are told, have done much to
abate the danger and ferocity of bull-fights. The
horns of the bull are sawed off, so that he cannot
gore, and spears are not allowed of more than a cer¬
tain length, so that the bull cannot be killed by a
direct blow; but, in my opinion, it would be really
better for effect upon moral character that a bull¬
fight should be, as it once was, a battle for life be¬
tween man and beast, for then it was an exhibition
of skill and daring, around which were sometimes
4
38 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
thrown the graces of chivalry. The danger to which
the man exposed himself, to a certain extent atoned
for the barbarities inflicted on the bull. Here for
eight days bulls with blunted horns had been stab¬
bed, mangled, and tortured ; many, no doubt, died
of their wounds, or were killed because they could
not recover; and that day we had seen four men
struck down and carried off, two of whom had nar¬
rowly escaped with their lives, if, indeed, they ever
recovered. After the immediate excitement of the
danger, the men were less objects of commiseration
than the beasts, but the whole showed the still bloody
effects of this modified system of bull-fighting. Men
go into all places without shame, though not with¬
out reproach, but I am happy in being able to say
that none of what are called the higher classes of
the ladies of Merida were present. Still there were
many whose young and gentle faces did not convey
the idea that they could find pleasure in scenes of
blood, even though but the blood of brutes.
In the evening we took another hot-bath at the lo-
teria, and the next day was Sunday, the last day of
the fiesta, which opened in the morning with grand
mass in the church of San Cristoval. The great
church, the paintings and altars, the burning of in¬
cense, the music, the imposing ceremonies of the al¬
tar, and the kneeling figures, inspired, as they always
do, if not a religious, at least a solemn feeling; and,
as on the occasion of grand mass in the Cathedral on
my first vist to Merida, among the kneeling figures of
A GRAND PROFESSION.
39
the women my eyes rested upon one with a black
mantle over her head, a prayer-book in her hand, and
an Indian woman by her side, whose face exhibited
a purity and intellectual softness which it was easy
for the imagination to invest with all those attributes
that make woman perfect. Whether she was maid,
wife, or widow, I never learned.
At four o’clock in the afternoon we set out for
the procession and paseo. The intense heat of the
day was over, there was shade in the streets, and a
fresh evening breeze. The streets through which
the procession was to pass were adorned with
branches, and at the corners were large collections
of them, forming groves of green. The balconies
of the windows were hung with silk curtains and
banners, and in the doorways and along the walks
isat rows of ladies simply but beautifully dressed,
without hats, their hair adorned with flowers, and
their necks with jewels. Near the church of San
Cristoval we were arrested by the crowd, and wait¬
ed till the procession came up.
It was headed by three priests, all richly dressed,
one. supporting a large silver cross ten feet high, and
each of the others bearing a tall silver candlestick.
They were followed by an Indian band, a motley
group, the leaders of which were three Indians, one
supporting the head and another the foot of a large
violoncello. Next came a party of Indians, bearing
on their shoulders a barrow supporting a large sil¬
ver cross. At the foot of the cross sat the figure of
40
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Mary Magdalen, large as life, dressed in red. Over
her head was a blue silk mantilla, with a broad gold
border, and across her lap the figure of the dead
Christ. The barrow was ornamented with large
glass shades, under which candles were burning, and
garlands and wreaths of flowers. This constituted
the whole of the ceremonial part of the procession,
and it was followed by a large concourse of Indians,
men and women, dressed in white, all carrying in
their hands long lighted candles.
When the crowd had passed by we strolled to the
Alameda. This is the great place of promenade
and paseo in Merida. It consists of a broad paved
avenue, with a line of stone seats on each side, and
beyond, on both sides, are carriage roads, shaded by
rows of trees. In full sight, and giving a picturesque
beauty to the scene, rises the Castillo, a ruined for¬
tress, with battlements of dark gray stone, and the
spires of the old Franciscan church rising inside,
romantic in its appearance, and identified with the
history of the Spanish conquest. Regularly every
Sunday there is a paseo around the castle and along
the Alameda, and this day, on account of the fete, it
was one of the best and gayest of the year.
The most striking feature, the life and beauty of
the paseo, were the calesas. Except one or two gigs,
and a black, square box-wagon, which occasionally
shame the pa§eo, the calesa is the only wheeled car¬
riage in Merida. The body is somewhat like that
of an oldfashioned gig, only much larger, and rest-
THE ALAMEDA.
41
ing on the shaft a little in front of the wheels. It
is painted red, with light and fancifully coloured cur¬
tains for the sun, drawn by one horse, with a boy
riding him—simple, fanciful, and peculiar to Yuca¬
tan. Each calesa had two, and sometimes three
ladies, in the latter case the prettiest sitting in the
middle and a little in front, all without hats or veils,
but their hair beautifully arranged and trimmed with
flowers. Though exposed to the gaze of thousands,
they had no boldness of manner or appearance, but,
on the contrary, an air of modesty and simplicity,
and all had a mild and gentle expression. Indeed,
as they rode alone and unattended through the great
mass of pedestrians, it seemed as if their very gen¬
tleness was a protection and shield from insult. We
sat dow r n on one of the stone benches in the Alameda,
with the young, and gay, and beautiful of Merida.
Strangers had not been there to laugh at and break
up their good old customs. It was a little nook al¬
most unknown to the rest of the world, and inde¬
pendent of it, enjoying what is so rarely found in
this equalizing age, a sort of primitive or Knicker¬
bocker state. The great charm was the air of con¬
tentment that reigned over the whole. If the young
ladies in the calesas had occupied the most brilliant
equipages in Hyde Park, they could not have seem¬
ed happier; and in their way, not less attractive were
the great crowds of Mestizas and Indian women,
some of the former being extremely pretty, and all
having the same mild and gentle expression ; they
Vol. I—F
42
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
wore a picturesque costume of white, with a red bor¬
der around the neck and skirt, and of that extraor¬
dinary cleanness which I had remarked as the char¬
acteristic of the poorest in Merida. For an hour,
one continued stream of calesas, with ladies, and
Mestizas, and Indian women, passed us without any
noise, or confusion, or tumult, but in all there was such
an air of quiet enjoyment that we felt sad as night
came on; and, as the sun sank behind the ruins of
the castillo, we thought that there were few places
in the world where it went down upon a prettier or
happier scene.
The crowning ceremonies of the fiesta were a dis¬
play of fireworks in the square of the church, follow¬
ed by a concert and ball. The former was for the
people, the latter for a select few. This, by-the-way,
could hardly be considered very select, as, upon the
application of our landlady, all our household receiv¬
ed tickets.
The entertainment was given by an association of
young men called La Sociedad Philharmonica. It
was the second of a series proposed to be given on
alternate Sundays, and already those who look cold¬
ly upon the efforts of enterprising young men were
predicting that it would not hold out long, which
prediction was unfortunately verified. It was given
in a house situated on a street running off from the
Plaza, one of the few in the city that had two sto¬
ries, and which would be ’ considered respectable
among what are called palazzos in Italy. The en-
A CONCERT, AND ITS ARRANGEMENTS. 43
tiance was into an entresol paved with stone, and
the ascent by a broad flight of stone steps. The
concert room was the sala. At one end was a plat¬
form, with instruments for the performers and ama¬
teurs, and two rows of chairs were arranged in par¬
allel lines, opposite each other, the whole length of
the room. When we entered, one row was occupied
entirely by ladies, while that opposite was vacant.
We approached it, but, fortunately, before exposing
our ignorance of Merida etiquette, it occurred to us
that these also were intended for ladies, and we mo¬
ved on to a corner which afforded a longitudinal view
of one line and an oblique view of the other. As
different parties arrived, after leaving shawls, &c.,
at the door, a gentleman entered, leading the lady
by the hand, which seemed much more graceful and
gallant than our fashion of hitching her on his arm,
particularly when there were two ladies. Leading
her to a seat, he left her, and retired to the corridor,
or the embrasure of a window. This continued till
the whole line of chairs was filled up, and we were
crowded out of our corner for our betters, so that the
room presented a coup d'ceil of ladies only. Here
they sat, not to be touched, handled, or spoken to, but
only to be looked at, which, long before the concert
was over, some were tired of doing, and I think I am
safe in saying that the faces of some of the ladies
lighted up when the concert was done, and the gen¬
tlemen were invited to take partners for a waltz.
For the first time in my life, I saw beauty in a
44
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
waltz. It was not the furious whirl of the French
waltz, stirring up the blood, making men perspire
and young ladies look red, but a slow, gentle, and
graceful movement, apparently inducing a languid,
dreaming, and delightful state of being. The music,
too, instead of bursting with a deafening crash, stole
on the ear so gently, that, though every .note was
heard clearly and distinctly, it made no noise; and
as the feet of the dancers fell to the gentle cadence,
it seemed as if the imagination was only touched by
the sound. Every face wore an expression of pure
and refined enjoyment—an enjoyment derived rath¬
er from sentiment than from excited animal spirits.
There were not the show and glitter of the ball¬
room in Europe or at home, but there were beauty
of personal appearance, taste in dress, and propriety
and simplicity of manners. At eleven o’clock the
ball broke up ; and if the loteria was objectionable,
and the bull-fight brutal, the paseo and baglio re¬
deemed them, and left on our minds a pleasing im¬
pression of the fete of San Cristoval.
i One fiesta was hardly ended when another began.
On Monday was. the great fete of Todos Santos.
Grand mass was said in all the churches, and in eve¬
ry family prayers were offered up for the souls of the
dead; and, besides the usual ceremonies of the Cath¬
olic Church throughout the world, there is one pe¬
culiar to Yucatan, derived from the customs of the
Indians, and called Mukbipoyo. On this day every
Indian, according to his means, purchases and burns
FETE OF TODOS SANTOS.
45
a certain number of consecrated candles, in honour of
his deceased relatives, and in memory of each mem¬
ber of his family who has died within the year. Be¬
sides this, they bake in the earth a pie consisting ol
a paste of Indian corn, stuffed with pork and fowls,
and seasoned with chili, and during the day every
good Yucateco eats nothing but this. In the inte¬
rior, where the Indians are less civilized, they reli¬
giously place a portion of this composition out of
doors, under a tree, or in some retired place, for their
deceased friends to eat, and they say that the por¬
tion thus set apart is always eaten, which induces
the belief that the dead may be enticed back by ap¬
pealing to the same appetites which govern when
living; but this is sometimes accounted for by ma¬
licious and skeptical persons, who say that in every
neighbourhood there are other Indians, poorer than
those who can afford to regale their deceased rela¬
tives, and these consider it no sin, in a matter of this
kind, to step between the living and the dead.
We have reason to remember this fete from one
untoward circumstance. A friendly neighbour, who,
besides visiting us frequently with his wife and daugh¬
ter, was in the habit of sending us fruit and dulces
more than we could eat, this day, on the top of a
large, undisposed-of present, sent us a huge piece of
mukbipoyo. It was as hard as an oak plank, and
as thick as six of them; and having already over¬
tasked ourselves to reduce the pile on the table,
when this came, in a fit of desperation we took it
46
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
out into the courtyard and buried it. There it
would have remained till this day but for a mali¬
cious dog which accompanied them on their next vis¬
it ; he passed into the courtyard, rooted it up, and,
while we were pointing to the empty platters as our
acknowledgment of their kindness, this villanous dog
sneaked through the sala and out at the front door
with the pie in his mouth, apparently grown bigger
since it was buried.
The fetes were now ended, and we were not sor¬
ry, for now, for the first time, we had a prospect of
having our clothes washed. Ever since our arrival,
our linen, &c., accumulated during the voyage, had
stood in gaping bundles, imploring us to do some¬
thing for them, but during the continuance of the
fiestas not a lavandera in Merida could be found to
take in washing.
AN OLD FRIEND.
47
CHAPTER III
An old Friend.—Brief Account of Yucatan.—Early Voyages of
Discovery.—Columbus.—De Solis and Pinzon.—Expedition of
Cordova.—Voyages of Grijalva.—Expedition of Cortez.—Mis¬
sion of Montejo, who receives a Grant from Charles V.—Dis¬
coveries, Conquests, and Sufferings of Montejo and his Com¬
panions.—Efforts to convert the Natives.—Contreras.—Farther
Particulars relating to the Conquest of Yucatan.
I trust the reader has not forgotten our old friend
Don Simon Peon, to whom, of course, our first visit
was made. We were received by himself and his
mother, the Dona Joaquina, with the same kind¬
ness as on the former occasion, and in a greater de¬
gree. They immediately offered all in their power
to further the objects of our visit, and to the last
day of our residence in the country we continued
to feel the benefit of their friendly assistance. For
the present, the sala of the Dona Joaquina was ev¬
ery evening the rendezvous of her large and respect¬
able family connexion; there we were in the habit
of visiting at all times, and had reason to believe
that we were always welcome guests.
Among the first of Don Simon’s good offices was
a presentation to the governor of the state. This
gentleman, by reason of the peculiar political posi¬
tion of Yucatan, occupied at that time a prominent
and important position ; but, before introducing him
to the reader, it may not be amiss to give a brief ac-
48
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
count of the country of which he is the official
head.
It may be remembered that Columbus, in his first
three voyages, did not reach the Continent of Amer¬
ica. On his fourth, final, and ill-fated expedition,
“ after sixty days of tempestuous weather, without
seeing sun or stars,” he discovered a small island,
called by the Indians Guanaja, supposed to be that
now laid down on some maps as the island of Bon-
aca. While on shore at this island, he saw coming
from the west a canoe of large size, filled with In¬
dians, who appeared to be a more civilized people
than any the Spaniards had yet encomitered. In
return to the inquiries of the Spaniards for gold,
they pointed toward the west, and endeavoured to
persuade them to steer in that direction.
“Well would it have been for Columbus,” says
Mr. Irving, “ had he followed their advice. Within
a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan;
the discovery of Mexico and the other opulent coun¬
tries of New Spain would have necessarily followed.
The Southern Ocean would have been disclosed to
him, and a succession of splendid discoveries would
have shed fresh glory on his declining age, instead
of its sinking amid gloom, neglect, and disappoint¬
ment.”
Four years afterward, in the year 1506, Juan
Dias de Solis, in company with Vincent Yanez
Pinzon, one of the companions of Columbus on his
last voyage, held the same course to the island of
EARLY VOYAGES.-CORDOVA. 49
Guanaja, and then, steering to the west, discovered
the east coast of the province now known by the
name of Yucatan, and sailed along it some distance,
without, however, prosecuting the discovery.
On the eighth of February, 1517, Francisco Her¬
nandez de Cordova, a rich hidalgo of Cuba, with
three vessels of good burden and one hundred and
ten soldiers, set sail from the port now known as
St. Jago de Cuba, on a voyage of discovery. Doub¬
ling St. Anton, now called Cape St. Antonio, and
sailing at hazard toward the west, at the end of
twenty-one days they saw land which had never
been seen before by Europeans.
On the fourth of March, while making arrange¬
ments to land, they saw coming to the ships five
large canoes, with oars and sails, some of them con¬
taining fifty Indians; and on signals of invitation be¬
ing made, above thirty came on board the captain’s
vessel. The next day the chief returned with twelve
large canoes and numerous Indians, and invited the
Spaniards to his town, promising them food, and
whatever was necessary. The words he used were
Conex cotoch, which, in the language of the Indians
of the present day, means, “ Come to our town.”
Not understanding the meaning, and supposing it
was the name of the place, the Spaniards called it
Point or Cape Cotoche, which name it still bears.
The Spaniards accepted the invitation, but, see¬
ing the shore lined with Indians, landed in their
Vol. I.—G
5
50
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
own boats, and carried with them fifteen crossbows
and ten muskets.
After halting a little while, they set out, the chief
leading the way; and, passing by a thick wood, at
a signal from the chief a great body of Indians in
ambush rushed out, poured upon them a shower of
arrows, which at the first discharge Wounded fifteen,
and then fell upon them with their lances; but the
swords, crossbows, and firearms of the Spaniards
struck them with such terror that they fled precipi¬
tately, leaving seventeen of their number slain.
The Spaniards returned to their ships, and con¬
tinued toward the west, always keeping in sight of
land. In fifteen days they discovered a large town,
with an inlet which seemed to be a river. They
went ashore for water, and were about returning,
when some fifty Indians came toward them, dressed
in good mantas of cotton, and invited them to their
town. After some hesitation, the Spaniards went
with them, and arrived at some large stone houses
like those they had seen at Cape Cotoche, on the
walls of which were figures of serpents and other
idols. These were their temples, and about one of
the altars were drops of fresh blood, which they af¬
terward learned was the blood of Indians, sacrificed
for the destruction of the strangers.
Hostile preparations of a formidable character
were soon apparent, and the Spaniards, fearing to
encounter such a multitude, retired to the shore, and
embarked with their water-casks. This place was
A RENCOUNTER WITH THE NATIVES. 51
called Kimpech, and at this day it is known by the
name of Campeachy.
Continuing westwardly, they came opposite a
town about a league from the • coast, which was
called Potonchan or Champoton. Being again in
distress for water, they went ashore all together, and
well armed. They found some wells, filled their
casks, and were about putting them into the boats,
when large bodies of warlike Indians came upon
them from the town, armed with hows and arrows,
lances, shields, double-handed swords, slings, and
stones, their faces painted white, black, and red, and
their heads adorned with plumes of feathers. The
Spaniards were unable to embark their water-casks,
and, as it was now nearly night, they determined to
remain on shore. At daylight great bodies of war¬
riors, with colours flying, advanced upon them from
all sides. The fight lasted more than half an hour;
fifty Spaniards were killed; and Cordova, seeing that
it was impossible to drive back such a multitude,
formed the rest into a compact body and cut his
way to the boats. The Indians followed close at
their heels, even pursuing them into the water. In
the confusion, so many of the Spaniards ran to the
boats together that they came near sinking them; hut,
hanging to the boats, half wading and half swimming,
they reached the small vessel, which came up to their
assistance. Fifty-seven of their companions were
killed, and five more died of their wounds. There
was but one soldier who escaped unwounded; all
52
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the rest had two, three, or four, and the captain,
Hernandez de Cordova, had twelve arrow wounds.
In the old Spanish charts this place is called the
Bay “ de Mala Pelea,” or “ of the bad fight.”
This great disaster determined them to return to
Cuba. So many sailors were wounded that they
could not man the three vessels, in consequence of
which they burned the smaller one, and, dividing the
crew between the other two, set sail. To add to
their calamity, they had been obliged to leave behind
their water-casks, and they came to such extremities
with thirst, that their tongues and lips cracked open.
On the coast of Florida they procured water, and
when it was brought alongside one soldier threw him¬
self from the ship into the boat, and, seizing an earth¬
en jar, drank till he swelled and died.
After this the vessel of the captain sprung a leak,
but by great exertions at the pumps they kept her
from sinking, and brought her into Puerto Carenas,
which is now the port of Havana. Three more sol¬
diers died of their wounds; the rest dispersed, and
the captain, Hernandez de Cordova, died ten days
after his arrival. Such was the disastrous end of
the first expedition to Yucatan.
In the same year, 1517, another expedition was
set on foot. Four vessels were fitted out, two hun¬
dred and forty companions enrolled themselves, and
Juan de Grijalva, “ a hopeful young man and well-
behaved,” was named captain-in-chief.
On the sixth of April, 1518, the armament sailed
EXPEDITION OF GRIJALVA. 53
from the port of Matanzas for Yucatan. Doubling
Cape San Antonio, and forced by the currents farther
down than its predecessor, they discovered the Island
of Cozumel.
Crossing over, and sailing along the coast, they
came in sight of Potonchan, and entered the Bay of
Mala Pelea, memorable for the disastrous repulse of
the Spaniards. The Indians, exulting in their for¬
mer victory, charged upon them before they landed,
and fought them in the water; but the Spaniards
made such slaughter that the Indians fled and aban¬
doned the town. The victory, however, cost them
dear. Three soldiers were killed, more than seven¬
ty wounded, and Juan de Grijalva was hurt by three
arrows, one of which knocked out two of his teeth.
Embarking again, and continuing toward the west,
in three days they saw the mouth of a very broad riv¬
er, which, as Yucatan was then supposed to be an
inland, they thought to be its boundary, and called the
Boca de Terminos. At Tobasco they first heard
the famous name of Mexico; and after sailing on to
Culua, now known as San Juan de Ulloa, the fort¬
ress of Yera Cruz, and some distance beyond along
the coast, Grijalva returned to Cuba to add new fuel
to the fire of adventure and discovery.
Another expedition was got up on a grand scale.
T en ships were fitted out, and it is creditable to the
fame of Juan de Grijalva that all his old companions
wished him for their chief; but, by a concurrence of
circumstances, this office was conferred upon Her-
54
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
nando Cortez, then alcalde of Santiago de Cuba, a
man comparatively unknown, but destined to be dis¬
tinguished among the daring soldiers of that day as
the Great Captain, and to build up a name almost
overshadowing that of the discoverer qf America.
The full particulars of all these expeditions form
part and parcel of the history of Yucatan; but to
present them in detail would occupy too large a por¬
tion of this work; and, besides, they form part of the
great chain of events which led to the conquest of
Mexico, the history of which, by the gifted author
of Ferdinand and Isabella, it is hoped, will soon
adorn the annals of literature.
Among the principal captains in the expeditions
both of Grijalva and Cortez was Don Francisco
Montejo, a gentleman of Seville. After the arrival
of Cortez in Mexico, and while he was prosecuting
his conquests in the interior, twice it was consider¬
ed necessary to send commissioners to Spain, and
on both occasions Don Francisco Montejo was nom¬
inated, the first time with one other, and the last time
alone. On his second visit, besides receiving a con¬
firmation of former grants and privileges, and a new
coat of arms, as an acknowledgment of his distin¬
guished services rendered to the crown in the expe¬
ditions of Grijalva and Cortez, he obtained from the
king a grant for the pacification and conquest of the
islands (as it is expressed) of Yucatan and Cozu¬
mel, which countries, amid the stirring scenes and
GRANT OF MONTEJO.
55
golden prospects of the conquest of Mexico, had
been entirely overlooked. .
This grant bears date the eighth day of December,
1526, and, among other things, stipulated,
That the said Don Francisco de Montejo should
have license and power to conquer and people the
said islands of Yucatan and Cozumel:
That he should set out within one year from the
date of the instrument :
That he should be governor and captain-general
for life :
That he should be adelantado for life, and on his
death the office should descend to his heirs and suc¬
cessors forever.
Ten square leagues of land and four per cent, of
all the profit or advantage to be derived from all the
lands discovered and peopled were given to himself,
his heirs and successors forever.
Those who should join the expedition under him
were for the first three years to pay only the one
tenth part of the gold of the mines, the fourth year
a ninth part, and the per centage should go on in¬
creasing till it reached a fifth part.
They should be exempted from export duty upon
the articles they carried with them, provided they
were not taken for barter or sale.
They were allowed portions of land, and, after liv¬
ing on them four years complete, were to be at lib¬
erty to sell them and use them as their own.
Also to take rebellious Indians for slaves, and to
56
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
take and buy Indians held by the caciques as slaves,
under the regulations of the council of the Indies.
The tithes or tenth parts were granted to be expend¬
ed in churches and ornaments, and things necessary
for divine worship.
The last provision, which may seem rather illib¬
eral, if not libellous, was, that no lawyers or attorneys
should go into those lands from the kingdom of Spain,
nor from any other part, on account of the litigation
and controversies that would follow them.
Don Francisco Montejo, now adelantado, is de¬
scribed as “ of the middle stature, of a cheerful coun¬
tenance, and gay disposition. At the time of his ar¬
rival here (in Mexico) he was about thirty-five years
of age. He was fitter for business than war, and of
a liberal turn, expending more than he received
in which latter qualification for a great enterprise
he could perhaps find his match at the present day.
The adelantado incurred great expenses in the
purchase of arms, ammunition, horses, and provi¬
sions ; and, selling an estate, which yielded him
two thousand ducats of rent, he fitted out four ves¬
sels at his own expense, and embarked in them four
hundred Spaniards, under an agreement for a cer¬
tain share of the advantages of the expedition.
In the year 1527 (the month is not known) the
armament sailed from Seville, and, touching at the
islands for supplies, it was remarked, as a circum¬
stance of bad omen, that the adelantado had not on
board two priests, which, under a general provision,
EXPEDITION OF MONTEJO.
57
every captain, officer, or subject who had license to
discover and people islands 'or terra firma within the
limits of the King of Spain, was bound to carry with
him.
The fleet stopped at the island of Cozumel, where
the adelantado had great difficulty in communicating
with the Indians from want of an interpreter. T a-
king on board one of them as a guide, the fleet cross¬
ed over to the continent, and came to anchor off the
coast. All the Spaniards went on shore, and, as the
first act, with the solemnities usual in the new con¬
quests, took formal possession of the country in the
name of the king. Gonzalo Nieto planted the roy¬
al standard, and cried out, in a loud voice, “ Espafia !
Espana! viva Espana !”
Leaving the sailors on board to take care of the
vessel, the Spaniards landed their arms, ammunition,
horses, and provisions, and, remaining here a few
days to rest, from the excessive heat some became
sick. The Indians knew that the Spaniards had
established themselves in New Spain, and were de¬
termined to resist this invasion with all their strength;
but, for the moment, they avoided any hostile demon¬
strations.
As yet the adelantado had only touched along
the coast, and knew nothing of the interior. Expe¬
riencing great difficulty from the want of an inter¬
preter, he commenced his march along the coast un¬
der the guidance of the Indian from Cozumel. The
country was well peopled, and, without committing
Vol. I.—H
58
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
any violence upon the inhabitants, or suffering any
injury from them, the Spaniards proceeded from
town to town until they arrived at Conil At this
place, the Indians being apparently friendly, the
Spaniards were thrown off their guard; and on one
occasion, an Indian, who came to pay a visit, snatch¬
ed a hanger from a little negro slave, and attempted
to kill the adelantado. The latter drew his sword
to defend himself, but the soldiers rushed forward
and killed the Indian on the spot.
The adelantado now determined to march from
Conil to the province of Choaca, and from this time
they began to experience the dreadful hardships they
were doomed to suffer in subduing Yucatan. There
were no roads; the country was stony, and overgrown
with thick woods. Fatigued with the difficulties of
their march, the heat, and want of water, they arri¬
ved at Choaca, and found it deserted: the inhabitants
had gone to join other Indians who were gathering
for war. No one appeared to whom they could give
notice of their pacific intentions, and the tidings that
an Indian had been killed had gone before them.
Setting out again, still under the guidance of the
Cozumel Indian, they reached a town named Ake.
Here they found themselves confronted by a great
multitude of Indians, who had lain in ambush, con¬
cealed in the woods.
These Indians were armed with quivers of ar¬
rows, sticks burned at the ends, lances pointed with
sharp flints, and two-handed swords of very hard
A BLOODY BATTLE WITH THE NATIVES. 59
wood. They had flutes, and large sea-shells for
trumpets, and turtle-shells which they struck with
deers’ horns. Their bodies were naked, except
around the loins, and stained all over with earth
of different colours, and they wore stone rings in
their ears and noses.
The Spaniards were astonished at seeing such
strange figures, and the noise that they made with
the turtle-shells and horns, accompanied by a shout of
voices, seemed to make the hills quake. The ade-
lantado encouraged the Spaniards by relating his ex¬
perience of war with the Indians, and a fearful bat¬
tle commenced, which lasted all that day. Night
came to put an end to the slaughter, but the Indians
remained on the ground. The Spaniards had time
to rest and bind up their wounds, but kept watch all
night, with the dismal prospect of being destroyed
on the next day.
At daylight the battle began again, and continued
fiercely till midday, when the Indians began to give
way. The Spaniards, encouraged by hope of victo¬
ry, pressed them till they turned and fled, hiding
themselves in the woods; but, ignorant of the ground,
and worn out with constant fighting, the victors
could only make themselves masters of the field.
In this battle more than twelve hundred Indians
were killed.
In the beginning of the year 1528, the adelanta-
do determined again, by slow marches, to reconnoi-
ter the country; and, having discovered the warlike
60
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
character of the inhabitants, to avoid as much as pos¬
sible all conflict with them. With this resolution,
they set out from Ake in the direction of Chichen
Itza, where, by kindness and conciliation, they got
together some Indians, and built houses of wood
and poles covered with palm leaves.
Here the adelantado made one unfortunate and
fatal movement. Disheartened by not seeing any
signs of gold, and learning from the Indians that the
glittering metal was to be found in the province of
Ba Khalal, the adelantado determined to send the
Captain Davila to found in that province a town of
Spaniards. Davila set out with fifty foot-soldiers
and sixteen horsemen, and from the time of this sep¬
aration difficulties and dangers accumulated upon
both. All efforts to communicate with each other
proved abortive. After many battles, perils, and suf¬
ferings, those in Chichen Itza saw themselves redu¬
ced to the wretched alternative of dying by hunger
or by the hands of the Indians. An immense mul¬
titude of the latter having assembled for their de¬
struction, the Spaniards left their fortificatioiis, and
went out on the plain to meet them. The most se¬
vere battle ever known in wars with the Indians
took place. Great slaughter was made among them,
but a hundred and fifty Spaniards were killed; near¬
ly all the rest were wounded, and, worn down with
fatigue, the survivors retreated to the fortifications.
The Indians did not follow them, or, worn out as
they were, they would have perished miserably to a
PERILOUS SITUATION OF MONTEJO. 61
man. At night the Spaniards escaped. From the
meager and unsatisfactory notices of these events
that have come down to us, it is not known with ac¬
curacy by what route they reached the coast; but
the next that we hear of them is at Campeachy.
The fortunes of Davila were no better. Arrived
at die province of Ba Khalal, he sent a message to
the Lord of Chemecal to inquire about gold, and re¬
questing a supply of provisions; the fierce answer of
the cacique was, that he would send fowls on spears,
and Indian corn on arrows. With forty men and
five horses left, Davila struggled back to the coast,
and, two years after their unfortunate separation, he
joined the adelantado in Campeachy.
Their courage was still unbroken. Roused by
the arrival of Davila, the adelantado determined to
make another attempt to penetrate the country.
For this purpose he again sent off Davila with fifty
men, himself remaining in Campeachy with but for¬
ty soldiers and ten horsemen. As soon as the In¬
dians discovered his small force, an immense multi¬
tude gathered round the camp. Hearing a tumult,
the adelantado went out on horseback, and, riding
toward a group assembled on a little hill, cried out,
endeavouring to pacify them; but the Indians, turn¬
ing in the direction of the voice, and recognising
the adelantado, surrounded him, laid hands upon the
reins of his horse, and tried to wrest from him his
lance. The adelantado spurred his horse, and ex¬
tricated himself for a moment, but so many Indians
6
62
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
came up that they held his horse fast by the feet,
took away his lance, and endeavoured to carry him
off alive, intending, as they afterward said, to sacri¬
fice him to their gods. Bias Gonzales was the only
soldier near him, who, seeing his danger, threw him¬
self on horseback, cleared a way through the In¬
dians with his lance, and, with others who came up
at the moment, rescued the adelantado. Both hinU
self and the brave Gonzales were severely wound¬
ed, and the horse of the latter died of his wounds.
About this lime the fame of the discovery of Peru
reached these unlucky conquerors, and, taking ad¬
vantage of the opportunity afforded by their prox¬
imity to the coast, many of the soldiers deserted.
To follow up the conquest of Yucatan, it was indis¬
pensable to recruit his forces, and for this purpose
the adelantado determined on going to New Spain.
He had previously sent information to the king of
his misfortunes, and the king had despatched a royal
parchment to the audiencia of Mexico, setting forth
the services of the adelantado, the labours and losses
he had sustained, and charging them to give him
assistance in all that related to the conquest of Yu¬
catan. With this favour and his rents in New
Spain, he got together some soldiers, and bought
vessels, arms, and other munitions of war, to pros¬
ecute his conquest. Unluckily, as Tobasco belong¬
ed to his government, and the Indians of that prov¬
ince, who had been subdued by Cortez, had revolt¬
ed, he considered it advisable first to reduce them.
63
SPANIARDS ABANDON YUCATAN.
•\ v
The vessels sailed from Vera Cruz, and, stopping at
Tobasco with a portion of his recruits, he sent on
the vessels with the rest, under the command of his
son, to prosecute the conquest in Yucatan.
But the adelantado found it much more difficult
than he expected to reduce the Indians of Tobasco ;
and while he was engaged in it, the Spaniards in
Campeachy, instead of being able to penetrate into
the country, were undergoing great sufferings. The
Indians cut off their supplies of provisions, and,
being short of sustenance, nearly all became ill.
They were obliged to make constant sorties to pro¬
cure food, and it was necessary to let the horses go
loose, though at the risk of their being killed.
They were reduced so low that but five soldiers
remained to watch over and provide for the rest.
Finding it impossible to hold out any longer, they
determined to abandon the place. Gonzales Nieto,
who first planted the royal standard on the shores
of Yucatan, was the last to leave it, and in the year
1535 not a single Spaniard remained in the country.
It was now notorious that the adelantado had
not fulfilled the order to carry with him priests, and,
by many of the daring but devout spirits of that
day, his want of success in Yucatan was ascribed
to this cause. The viceroy of Mexico, in the ex¬
ercise of the discretion allowed under a rescript
from the queen, determined forthwith to send
priests, who should conquer the country by con¬
verting the Indians to Christianity.
64
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
The venerable Franciscan friar, Jacobo de Fes-
tera, although superior and prelate of the rich prov¬
ince of Mexico, zealous, says the historian, for the
conversion of souls, and desirous to reduce the
whole world to the knowledge of the true God, of¬
fered himself for this spiritual conquest, expecting
many hardships, and doubtful of the result. Four
persons of the same order were assigned as his
companions; and, attended by some friendly Mex¬
icans who had been converted to Christianity, on
the eighth of March they arrived at Champoton,
famed for the “ mala pelea,” or bad fight, of the
Spaniards.
The Mexicans went before them to give notice
of their coming, and to say that they came in the
spirit of peace, few in number, and without arms,
caring only for the salvation of souls; and to make
known to the people the true God, whom they ought
to worship. The lords of Champoton received the
Mexican messengers amicably, and, satisfied that
they could run but little risk, allowed the mission¬
aries to enter their country. Regardless of the con¬
cerns of this world, says the historian, and irre¬
proachable in their lives, they prevailed upon the
Indians to listen to their preaching, and in a few
days enjoyed the fruit of their labours. This fruit,
he adds, “ was not so great as if they had had in¬
terpreters familiar with the idiom ; but the divine
grace and the earnestness of these ministers were so
powerful that, after forty days’ communication, the
EFFORTS TO CONVERT THE NATIVES. 65
lords brought voluntarily all their idols, and deliver¬
ed them to the priests to be burned;” and, as the
best proof of their sincerity, they brought their chil¬
dren, whom, says the Bishop Las Casas, they cher¬
ished more than the light of their eyes, to be indoc¬
trinated and taught. Every day they became more
attached to the padres, built them houses to live in,
and a temple for worship; and one thing occurred
which had never happened before. Twelve or fif¬
teen lords, with great territories and many vassals,
with the consent of their people, voluntarily ac¬
knowledged the dominion of the King of Castile.
This agreement, under their signs and attested by
the monks, the bishop says he had in his possession.
At this time, when, from such great beginnings, the
conversion of the whole kingdom of Yucatan seem¬
ed almost certain, there happened (to use, as near as
possible, the language of the historian) the greatest
disaster that the devil, greedy of souls, could desire.
Eighteen horsemen and twelve foot-soldiers, fugitives
from New Spain, entered the country from some
quarter, bringing with them loads of idols, which
they had carried off from other provinces. The
captain called to him a lord of that part of the coun¬
try by which he entered, and told him to take the
idols and distribute them throughout the country,
selling each one for an Indian man or woman to
serve as a slave, and adding, that if the lord refused
to do so, he would immediately make war upon
them. The lord commanded his vassals to take
Vol. I.—I
66
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tiiese idols and worship them, and in return to give
him Indian men and women to be delivered to the
Spaniards. The Indians, from fear and respect to
the command of their lord, obeyed. Whoever had
two children gave one, and whoever had three gave
two.
In the mean time, seeing that, after they had given
up their gods to be burned, these Spaniards brought
others to sell, the whole country broke out in indig¬
nation against the monks, whom they accused of
deceiving them. The monks endeavoured to ap¬
pease them, and, seeking out the thirty Spaniards,
represented to them the great evil they were doing,
and required them to leave the country; but the
Spaniards refused, and consummated their wicked¬
ness by telling the Indians that the priests them¬
selves had induced them to come into the country.
The Indians were now roused beyond all forbear¬
ance, and determined to murder the priests, who,
having notice of this intention, escaped at night.
Very soon, however, the Indians repented, and, re¬
membering the purity of their lives, and satisfied of
their innocence, they sent after the monks fifty
leagues, and begged them to return. The monks,
zealous only for their souls, forgave them and re¬
turned ; but, finding that the Spaniards would not
leave the country, and that they were constantly
aggrieving the Indians, and especially that they
could not preach in peace, nor without continual
dread, they determined to leave the country and re-
MONTEJO JOINED BY NIETO.
67
turn to Mexico. Thus Yucatan remained without
the light and help of the doctrine, and the miserable
Indians in the darkness of ignorance.
Such is the account of the mission of these monks
given by the old Spanish historians, but the cautious
reader of the present day will hardly credit that
these good priests, “ ignorant of the language, and
without interpreters who understood the idiom,”
could in forty days bring the Indians to throw their
idols at their feet; and still less, that this warlike
people, who had made such fierce resistance to Cor¬
dova, Grijalva, Cortez, and the adelantado, would all
at once turn cravens before thirty vagabond Span¬
iards ; but, says the historian, these are secrets of
Divine justice; perhaps for their many sins they did
not deserve that at that time the word should be
preached to them.
We return now to the adelantado, whom we left
at Tobasco. Severe wars with the Indians, want
of arms and provisions, and, above all, desertions in¬
stigated by the fame of Peruvian riches, had left him
at a low ebb. In this situation he was joined by
Captain Gonzalo Nieto and the small band which
had been compelled to evacuate Yucatan, and by the
presence of these old companions his spirits were
again roused.
But the pacification of Tobasco was much more
difficult than was supposed. By communication
with the Spaniards, the Indians had lost their fears
of them. The country was bad for carrying on
%
68
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
war, particularly with cavalry, on account of the
marshes and pools; their provisions were again cut
off; many of the soldiers went away disgusted, and
others, from the great humidity and heat, sickened
and died.
While they were in this extremity, the Captain
Diego de Contreras, with no fixed destination, and
ready to embark in any of the great enterprises
which at that time attracted the adventurous soldier,
arrived at the port. He had with him a vessel of
his own, with provisions and other necessaries, his
son, and twenty Spaniards. The adelantado repre¬
sented to him the great service he might render the
king, and by promises of reward induced him to re¬
main. With this assistance he was enabled to sus¬
tain himself in Tobasco until, having received addi¬
tional re-enforcements, he effected the pacification
of the whole of that country.
The adelantado now made preparations to return
to Yucatan. Champoton was selected as the place
of disembarcation. According to some of the his¬
torians, he did not himself embark on this expedi¬
tion, but sent his son. It seems more certain, how¬
ever, that he went in person as commander-in-chief
of the armada, and leaving his son, Don Francisco
de Montejo, in command of the soldiers, returned to
Tobasco, as being nearer to Mexico, from which
country he expected to receive and send on more
recruits and necessaries. The Spaniards landed,
some time in the year 1537, and again planted the
SECOND ATTEMPT TO REDUCE YUCATAN. 69
royal standard in Yucatan. The Indians allowed
them to land without noise or opposition, but they
were only lying in wait for an opportunity to de¬
stroy them. In a few days a great multitude assem¬
bled, and at midnight they crept silently up the
paths and roads which led to the camp of the Span¬
iards, seized one of the sentinels, and killed him;
but the noise awoke the Spaniards, who, wondering
less at the attack than at its being made by night,
rushed to their arms. Ignorant as they were of the
ground, in the darkness all was confusion. On the
east, west, and south they heard the clamour and
outcries of the Indians. Nevertheless, they made
great efforts, and the Indians, finding their men fall¬
ing, and hearing the groans of the wounded and dy¬
ing, relaxed in the fury of their attack, and at length
retreated. The Spaniards did not pursue them, but
remained in the camp, keeping watch till daylight,
when they collected and buried the bodies of their
own dead.
For some days the Indians did not make any hos¬
tile demonstrations, hut they kept away or conceal¬
ed as much as possible all supplies of provisions.
The Spaniards were much straitened, and obliged
to sustain themselves by catching fish along the
shores. On one occasion two Spaniards, who had
straggled to some distance from the camp, fell into
the hands of the Indians, who carried them away
alive, sacrificed them to their idols, and feasted upon
their bodies.
70 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
During this time the Indians were forming a great
league of all the caciques in the country, and gath¬
ered in immense numbers at Champoton. As soon
as all the confederates were assembled, they attack¬
ed with a horrible noise the camp of the Spaniards,
who could not successfully contend against such a
multitude. Many Indians fell, but they counted as
well lost a thousand of their own number for the life
of one Spaniard. There was no hope but in flight,
and the Spaniards retreated to the shore. The In¬
dians pursued them, heaping insults upon them, en¬
tered their camp, loaded themselves with the cloth¬
ing and other things, which in the hurry of retreat
they had been obliged to leave behind, put on their
dresses, and from the shore mocked and scoffed at
them, pointing with their fingers, taunting them with
cowardice, and crying out, “Where is the courage
of the Spaniards V’ The latter, hearing from their
boats these insults, resolved that death and fame
were better than life and ignominy, and, wounded
and worn out as they were, took up their arms and
returned to the shore. Another fierce battle ensu¬
ed; and the Indians, dismayed by the resolution
with which these vanquished men again made front
against them, retired slowly, leaving the Spaniards
masters of the field. The Spaniards cared for no
more, content to recover the ground they had lost.
From this time the Indians determined not to give
battle again, and the great multitude, brought to¬
gether from different places, dispersed, and returned
CRITICAL SITUATION OF THE SPANIARDS. 71
to their homes. The Spaniards remained more at
their ease. The Indians, seeing that they could
not be driven out of the country, and did not intend
to leave it, contracted a sort of friendship with them,
but they were not able to make any advances into
the interior. On every attempt they were so badly
received that they were compelled to return to their
camp in Champoton, which was, in fact, their only
refuge.
As Champoton was on the coast, which now be¬
gan to be somewhat known, vessels occasionally
touched there, from which the poor Spaniards re¬
lieved some of their necessities. Occasionally a
new companion remained, but their numbers still di¬
minished, many, seeing the delay and the little fruit
derived from their labours, abandoning the expedi¬
tion. The time came when there were only nine¬
teen Spaniards in Champoton, the names of some
of whom are still preserved, and they affirm in their
judicial declaration, that in this critical situation
they owed their preservation to the prudence and
good management of Don Francisco Montejo, the
son of the adelantado.
Again they were relieved, and again their force
dwindled away. The fame of the riches of Peru was
in every mouth. The poverty of Yucatan was no¬
torious. There were no mines; there was but little
encouragement for others to join the expedition, and
those in Champoton were discouraged. Struggling
with continual hardships and dangers, they made no
72
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
advance toward the conquest of the country; all
who could, endeavoured to get away, some going in
canoes, others by land, as occasion offered. In or¬
der to confer upon some means of bettering the con¬
dition of things, it was necessary for the son of the
adelantado to visit his father at Tobasco, and he set
out, leaving the soldiers at Champoton under the
command of his cousin, a third Don Francisco.
During his absence matters became worse. The
people continued going away, and Don Francisco
knew that if they lost Champoton, which had cost
them so much, all was lost. Consulting with a few
who were most desirous of persevering in the enter¬
prise, he brought together those who were suspected
of meditating desertion, and told them to go at once,
and leave the rest to their fate. The poor soldiers,
embarrassed, and ashamed at being confronted with
companions whom they intended to desert, deter¬
mined to remain.
But the succour so earnestly hoped for was de¬
layed. All the expedition which the son of the ad¬
elantado could make was not sufficient for those
who remained in Champoton. They had been
nearly three years without making any advances or
any impression upon the country. Despairing of its
conquest, and unable to exist in the straits in which
they found themselves, they talked openly of dis¬
banding, and going where fortune might lead them.
The captain did all that he could to encourage
them, but in vain. All had their luggage and ship-
DESPERATE CONDITION OF SPANIARDS. 73
stores ready to embark, and nothing was talked of
but leaving the country.
The exertions of the captain induced them to take
better counsel, and they agreed not to execute their
resolution hastily, but, to save themselves from inju¬
rious imputations, first to send notice of their inten¬
tion to the adelantado. Juan de Contreras was sent
with the despatches, who gave the adelantado, be¬
sides, a full account of the desperate condition in
which they remained at Champoton.
His intelligence gave the adelantado much anx¬
iety. All his resources were exhausted; he had
been unable to procure the succour necessary, and
he knew that if the Spaniards abandoned Champo¬
ton, it would be impossible to prosecute the conquest
of Yucatan. Aware of their necessities, when the
news arrived, he had some Spaniards collected to go
to their assistance, and now, by gifts and promises,
he made some additions; and while waiting until
these could be got ready, despatched Alonzo Rosa¬
do, one of the new recruits, to give notice of the
succour at hand.
It does not appear whether the adelantado went
to Champoton in person, but vessels arrived carry¬
ing soldiers, provisions, clothing, and arms, and to¬
ward the end of the year 1539 his son returned,
with twenty horsemen, from New Spain. The
drooping spirits of the Spaniards were revived, and
again they conceived hopes of achieving the con¬
quest of the country.
Vol. I.—K
7
74
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
About this time, too, the adelantado, grieving over
the common misfortune of himself and those who
had been constant and enduring, but doubting his
own fortune, and confiding in the valour of his son
Don Francisco, determined to put into the hands of
the latter the pacification of Yucatan. He was at
that time settled in the government of Chiapas, to
which place he summoned his son, and by a formal
act substituted him in all the powers given to him¬
self by the king. The act of substitution is cred¬
itable alike to the head and heart of the adelantado.
It begins with an injunction “ that he should strive
that the people under his charge should live and be
as true Christians, separating themselves from vices
and public sins, not permitting them to speak ill of
God, nor his blessed mother, nor the saints and it
concludes with the words, “because I know that
you are a person who will know how to do it well,
putting first God our Lord, and the service of his
majesty, and the good of the country, and the exe¬
cution of justice.”
Within a month from the time when he was call¬
ed away by his father, Don Francisco returned to
Champoton with all the provisions necessary for
prosecuting, on his own account, the conquest of
Yucatan. From this time the door of better fortune
seemed opened to the Spaniards.
Don Francisco determined forthwith to undertake
the march to Campeachy. At a short distance from
Champoton they encountered a large body of In-
SUCCESS OF THE SPANIARDS. 75
dians, routed them, and, determined not to make
any retrograde movement, encamped upon the spot.
From this place the Indians, mortified and in¬
censed at their defeat, erected fortifications along the
whole line of march. The Spaniards could not ad¬
vance without encountering walls, trenches, and em¬
bankments, vigorously defended. All these they
gained in succession; and so great was the slaugh¬
ter of the Indians, that at times their dead bodies
obstructed the battle, and the Spaniards were obliged
to pass over the dead to fight with the living. In
one day they had three battles, in which the Span¬
iards were almost worn out with fighting.
Here, again, the history fails, and it does not ap¬
pear how they were received in Campeachy; but it
is manifest from other authorities that in the vear
•/
1540 they founded a city under the name of San
Francisco de Campeche.
Remaining in this place till things were settled,
Don Francisco, in pursuance of his father’s instruc¬
tions, determined on descending to the province of
Quepech, and founding a city in the Indian town
of Tihoo. Knowing that delay was dangerous, he
sent forward the Captain Francisco de Montejo, his
cousin, with fifty-seven men. He himself remained
in Campeachy to receive and organize the soldiers,
who, stimulated by the tidings of his improving for¬
tunes, were every day coming in from his father.
Don Francisco set out for Tihoo, and in all the
accounts there is a uniform correspondence in re-
76
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
gard to the many dangers they encountered on that
journey from the smallness of their numbers, the
great multitudes of warlike Indians, and the strong
walls and other defences which they found at every
step to obstruct their progress. The Indians con¬
cealed the wells and ponds, and as there were no
streams or fountains, they were perishing with thirst.
Provisions were cut off, and they had war, thirst,
and hunger on their path. The roads were mere
narrow passes, with thick woods on both sides,
encumbered with the dead bodies of men and ani¬
mals, and their sufferings from want of water and
provisions were almost beyond endurance.
Arriving at a town called Pokboc, they pitched
and fortified their camp, with the intention of ma¬
king a halt, but at night they were roused by find¬
ing the camp on fire. All ran to arms, thinking less
of the fire than of the Indians, and in darkness and
silence waited to discover the quarter whence the
attack would come; but hearing no noise, and re¬
lieved from the apprehension of enemies, they at¬
tempted to extinguish the flames. By this time,
however, the whole camp, and almost everything
that they had, were burned up. But they were not
dismayed. The captain gave notice of this misfor¬
tune to his cousin in Campeachy, and resumed his
march. In the year 1540 he arrived at Tihoo.
In a few days he was joined by forty other Span¬
iards, who were sent on by Don Francisco Montejo,
and at this time some Indians came to them and
SUBMISSION OF SOME CACIQUES. 77
said, “ What are you doing here, Spaniards ? more
Indians are coming against you, more than there are
hairs on the skin of a deer.” The Spaniards an¬
swered that they would go out to seek them; and,
leaving the guard in the camp, the Captain Don
Francisco Montejo immediately set out, came upon
them at a place five leagues distant, and attacked
them with such vigour, that, though they at first de¬
fended themselves bravely, the Spaniards gained
upon them, and killing many, the rest became dis¬
heartened and took to flight.
In the mean time the son of the adelantado ar¬
rived from Campeachy; and being now all united,
and the Indians at first withholding all supplies, they
very soon began to suffer from want of provisions.
While in this condition, unexpectedly a great ca¬
cique from the interior came to them voluntarily (the
circumstances will appear hereafter) and made sub¬
mission. Some neighbouring caciques of Tihoo,
either moved by this example, or finding that,
after so many years of war, they could not prevail
against the Spaniards, also submitted. Encouraged
by the friendship of these caciques, and believing
that they might count upon their succour until they
had finished the subjection of the country, the Span¬
iards determined to found a city on the site oc¬
cupied by Tihoo; but in the mean time a terrific
storm was gathering over their heads. All the In¬
dians from the east of Tihoo were drawing togeth¬
er; and in the month of June, toward the evening
78
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
of the feast of Barnaby the apostle, an immense
body, varying, according to manuscript accounts,
from forty to seventy thousand, came down upon the
small band of a little more than two hundred then
in Tihoo. The following day they attacked the
Spanish camp on all sides. The most terrible battle
the Spaniards had ever encountered ensued. “ Di¬
vine power,” says the pious historian, “ works more
than human valour. What were so few Catholics
against so many infidels 1 ” The battle lasted the
greater part of the day. Many Indians were killed,
but immediately others took their places, for they
were so many that they were like the leaves on the
trees. The arquebuses and crossbows made great
havoc, and the horsemen carried destruction wher¬
ever they moved, cutting down the fugitives, tram¬
pling under foot the wounded and dying. Piles of
dead bodies stopped the Spaniards in their pursuit.
The Indians were completely routed, and for a great
distance the ground was covered with their dead.
The fame of the Spaniards rose higher than be¬
fore, and the Indians never rallied again for a gen¬
eral battle. All this year the invaders were occu¬
pied in drawing to them and conciliating the neigh¬
bouring caciques, and on the sixth of January, 1542,
they founded, with all legal formalities, on the site
of the Indian town of Tihoo, the “ very loyal and
noble” city of Merida.
Here I shall leave them; and I make no apolo¬
gy for presenting this history. It was forty years
COGOLLUDO’S HISTORY OF YUCATAN. 79
since a straggling canoe at the island of Guanaja
first gave intelligence of the existence of such a
country as Yucatan, and sixteen since Don Fran¬
cisco Montejo received the royal authority to con¬
quer and people it. During that time Cortez had
driven Montezuma from the throne of Mexico, and
Pizarro had seized the sceptre of the Peruvian In¬
cas. In the glory of these conquests Yucatan was
unnoticed, and has been to this day. The ancient
historians refer to it briefly and but seldom. The
only separate account of it is that of Cogolludo, a
native historian.
The work of this author was published in the year
1658. It is voluminous, confused, and ill-digested,
and might almost be called a history of the Francis¬
can Friars, to which order he belonged. It is from
this work principally that, with no small labour, I
have gathered the events subsequent to the grant
made by the king to Don Francisco Montejo ; it is
the only work that purports to give an account of
those events, and as it has never been translated, and
is scarcely known out of Yucatan, and even in that
country is almost out of print, it must at least be new
to the reader.
80
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
CHAPTER IV.
Political State of Yucatan.—Alliance with Texas.—Presentation
to the Governor.—Ilis Character and Personal Appearance.—
A Cordial Reception.—An Arrival of Strangers.—A Citizen of
the World.—Another old Acquaintance.—Population of Meri¬
da.—Climate.—General Aspect of Merida.—An interesting Ed¬
ifice.—Mode of naming Streets.—Sculptured Figures.—Church¬
es.—Franciscan Convent —A Memorial of the Past.—Ruined
Cities of America.—Former Conclusions confirmed.
From the time of the conquest, Yucatan existed
as a distinct captain-generalcy, not connected with
Guatimala, nor subject to the viceroy of Mexico.
So it continued down to the Mexican revolution.
The independence of Yucatan followed that of Mex¬
ico without any struggle, and actually by default of
the mother-country in not attempting to keep it in
subjection.
Separated from Spain, in an evil hour Yucatan
sent commissioners to Mexico to deliberate upon
forming a government; and on the return of these
commissioners, and on their report, she gave up her
independent position, and entered into the Mexican
confederation as one of the states of that republic.
Ever since she had been suffering from this unhap¬
py connexion, and, a short time before our former
visit, a revolution broke out all over the country;
in the successful progress of which, during that visit,
the last Mexican garrison was driven out of Yuca¬
tan. The state assumed the rights of sovereignty,
asserting its independent powers, at the same time
POLITICAL STATE OF YUCATAN. 81
not disconnecting itself entirely from Mexico, but
declaring itself still a component part of that repub¬
lic upon certain conditions. The declaration of its
independence was still a moot question. The as¬
sembly had passed a bill to that effect, but the sen¬
ate had not yet acted upon it, and its fate in that
body was considered doubtful. In the mean time, a
commissioner had been sent to Texas, and two days
after our arrival at Merida the Texan schooner of
war San Antonio arrived at Sisal, bringing a propo¬
sition for Yucatan to pay $8000 per month toward
the support of the Texan navy, and for the Texan
vessels to remain upon the coast of Yucatan and
protect it against invasion by Mexico. This prop¬
osition was accepted immediately, and negotiations
were pending for farther co-operation in procuring
a recognition of their mutual independence. Thus,
while shrinking from an open declaration of inde¬
pendence, Yucatan was widening the breach, and
committing an offence which Mexico could never
forgive, by an alliance with a people whom that gov¬
ernment, or rather Santa Ana, regarded as the worst
of rebels, and whom he was bent upon exerting the
whole power of the country in an effort to recon¬
quer. Such was the disjointed and false position in
which Yucatan stood at the time of our presentation
to the governor.
Our visit to him was made at his private residence,
which was one befitting his station as a private gen¬
tleman, and not unworthy of his public character.
Vol. I.—L
82
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
His reception-room was in the sala or parlour of his
house, in the centre of which, after the fashion of
Merida, three or four large chairs covered with mo¬
rocco were placed facing each other.
Don Santiago Mendez was about fifty years of
age, tall and thin, with a fine intellectual face, and
of very gentlemanly appearance a.nd deportment.
Free from internal wars, and saved by her geograph¬
ical position from the sanguinary conflicts common
in the other Mexican states, Yucatan has had no
school for soldiers; there are no military chieftains
and no prepossessions for military glory. Don San¬
tiago Mendez was a merchant, until within a few
years, at the head of a respectable commercial house
in Campeachy. He was so respected for upright¬
ness and integrity, that in the unsettled state of af¬
fairs he was agreed upon by the two opposite par¬
ties as the best person in the state to place at the
head of the government. His popularity, however,
was now somewhat on the wane, and his position
was neither easy nor enviable. From a quiet life
and occupations, he found himself all at once in the
front rank of a wide-spread rebellion. An inva¬
sion from Mexico was constantly apprehended, and
should it prove successful, while others would es¬
cape by reason of their insignificance, his head
would be sure to fall. The two great parties, one
in favour of keeping open the door of reconciliation
with Mexico, and the other for immediate and ab¬
solute separation, were both urging him to carry out
A CORDIAL RECEPTION.
83
their views. The governor shrank from the hazard
of extremes, was vacillating, undecided, and une¬
qual to the emergency. In the mean time, the en¬
thusiasm which led to the revolution, and which
might have achieved independence, was wearing
away. Dissatisfaction and discontent prevailed.
Both parties blamed the governor, and he did not
know himself to which he belonged.
There was nothing equivocal, however, in his re¬
ception of us. He knew the object of our return to
the country, and offered us all the facilities the gov¬
ernment could bestow. Whatever was to be the
fate of Yucatan, it was fortunate for us that it was
then free from the dominion of Mexico, and repu¬
diated entirely the jealous policy which threw im¬
pediments in the way of strangers seeking to ex¬
plore the antiquities of the country; and it was also
fortunate, that on my former visit Yucatan had im¬
pressed me favourably; for, had it been otherwise, my
situation might have been made uncomfortable, and
the two journals of Merida, the “ Commercial Bul¬
letin” and the “ Nineteenth Century,” instead of
giving us a cordial welcome, and bespeaking favour
for us, might have advised us to return home by the
same vessel that brought us out.
Our only business in Merida w r as to make inqui¬
ries about ruins and arrangements for our journey
into the interior, but in the mean time we had no
lack of other occupation.
The house of the Dona Micaela was the rendez-
84
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
vous of all strangers in Merida, and a few days after
our arrival there was an unprecedented gathering.
There were Mr. Auchincloss and his son, Mr. Tred-
well, Mr. Northrop, Mr. Gleason, and Mr. Robinson,
formerly United States consul at Tampico, who had
come out passengers by the Lucinda, all citizens of
the United States; and, besides these, the arrival
of the schooner of war San Antonio, from Texas,
brought among us a citizen of the world, or, at least,
of a great part of it. Mr. George Fisher, as appeared
by his various papers of naturalization, was “ natu¬
ral de la ciudad y fortaleza de Belgrada en la pro-
vincia de Servia del Imperio Ottomano,” or a “native
of the city and fortress of Belgrade, in the province
of Servia, in the Ottoman Empire.” His Sclavonic
name was Ribar, which in the German language
means a Fischer, and at school in Austria it was so
translated, from which in the United States it be¬
came modified to Fisher. At seventeen he embark¬
ed in a revolution to throw off the yoke of the sul¬
tan, but the attempt was crushed, and forty thous¬
and Sclavonians, men, women, and children, were
driven across the Danube, and took refuge in the
Austrian territory. The Austrian government, not
liking the presence of so many revolutionists with¬
in its borders, authorized the organizing of a Scla¬
vonic legion. Mr. Fisher entered it, made a cam¬
paign in Italy, and, at the end of the year, in the
interior of the country, where there was no danger
of their disseminating revolutionary notions, the le-
A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD. 85
gion was disbanded. After expeditions of various
kinds along the Danube, in Turkey, to Adrianople,
and along the Adriatic, he traded back, most of the
way on foot, until he reached Hamburgh, where, in
1815, he embarked for Philadelphia. Hence he
crossed over to the Ohio River, and in the State of
Mississippi, by five years’ residence, and abjuring all
other allegiance, became a citizen of the United
States. Mexico obtained her independence, and he
moved on to that country, becoming, by due process
of law, a Mexican citizen. Here he established a
newspaper, which, during the presidency of Santa
Ana, became so conspicuous for its liberal opinions,
that one fine morning an officer waited upon him
with a paper containing permission for him to leave
the country “ por el tiempo necessario,” which being
translated, meant, not to return very soon. With
this he “ sloped” for Texas, and became a citizen of
that young republic. It was strange in that remote
and secluded place to meet one from a region still
more distant and even less known, speaking every
language in Europe, familiar with every part of it,
with the history of every reigning family, the terri¬
torial limits of every prince, and at the same time a
citizen of so many republics.
His last allegiance was uppermost; his feelings
were all Texan, and he gave us many interesting
particulars touching the condition and prospects
of that country. He was, of course, soon at home
in the politics of Yucatan, and he had some lit-
8
86
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tie personal interest in watching them closely; for,
should Santa Ana regain the ascendancy, the cli¬
mate would be altogether too warm for him. He
had saddle and bridle, sword and pistols—all that he
needed except a horse—hanging up in his room, and
at a moment’s notice he was ready to mount and
ride.
Our meeting with this gentleman added much to
the interest of our time in Merida. In the evening,
when we had settled the affairs of Yucatan, we made
an excursion into Illyria or the interior of Turkey.
He was as familiar with the little towns in those
countries as with those in Mexico. His knowledge
of persons and places, derived from actual observa¬
tion, was most extensive; in short, his whole life
had been a chapter of incidents and adventures;
and these were not yet ended. He had a new field
opened to him in Yucatan. We parted 'with him
in Merida, and the next that we heard of him was
of his being in a situation quite as strange as any he
had ever been in before. Yet there was nothing
reckless, restless, or unsettled about him; he was
perfectly fixed and methodical in all his notions and
modes of action; in Wall-street he would be con¬
sidered a staid, regular, quiet, middle-aged man, and
he was systematic enough in his habits to be head
director of the Bank of England.
I must not omit to mention, among those whom
we were in the habit of seeing every day, another
old acquaintance, of the Spanish Hotel in Fulton-
CLIMATE OF MERIDA.
87
street, Don Vicente Calera, who, at the time of our
former visit, was still travelling in the United States.
In the mean time he had returned, married, and was
again domesticated in his native city.
Under his escort we traversed Merida in every di¬
rection, and visited all the public buildings and in¬
stitutions.
The population of Merida is probably about twen¬
ty-three thousand. Two tables are published in the
Appendix; but both purport to give the population
of the district, and neither that of the city alone.
The city stands on a great plain, on a surface of
limestone rock, and the temperature and climate are
very uniform. During the thirteen days that we
were in Merida the thermometer varied but nine de¬
grees ; and, according to a table of observations kept
for many years by the much-esteemed Cura Villa-
mil, it appears that during the year beginning on the
first of September, 1841, which included the whole
time that we were in the country, the greatest vari¬
ation was but twenty-three degrees. By the kind¬
ness of the cura, I have been furnished with a copy
of this table, from which I extract the observations
for the days that we passed in Merida.. The entire
table is published in the Appendix. The observa¬
tions were made by a -Fahrenheit thermometer kept
in the open air and in the shade, and noted at six
in the morning, midday, and six in the afternoon.
88
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
6 A.M.
12 M.
6 P.M.
Oct.
30
78
81
81
tt
31
81
82
82
Nov.
1
82
83
82
k
2
80
82
81
u
3
78
80
80
tt
4
80
77
77
a
5
77
78
78
tt
6
74
77
76
tt
7
74
76
76
it
8
75
78
78
it
9
75
78
78
tt
10
74
79
79
tt
11
78
79
79
I may remark, however, that in the interior of the
country we found a much greater variation than
any noted in the table published in the Appendix.
The general aspect of the city is Moorish, as it
was built at a time when the Moorish style prevail¬
ed in Spanish architecture. The houses are large,
generally of stone, and one story in height, with bal¬
conies to the windows and large courtyards. In
the centre of the city stands the plaza major, a square
of about six hundred feet. The whole of the east
side is occupied by the cathedral and the bishop’s
palace. On the west stand the house of the muni¬
cipality and that of the Doha Joaquina Peon. On
the north is the palace of the government, and on
the south a building which on our first visit arrested
our attention the moment we entered the plaza. It
is distinguished by a rich sculptured fa£ade of cu¬
rious design and workmanship. In it is a stone with
this inscription:
AN INTERESTING EDIFICE.
89
Esta obra mando hacerla el
Adelantado D. Francisco de Montejo
Ano de MDXLIX.
The Adelantado Don Francisco Montejo caused this to be made
in the year 1549.
The subject represents two knights in armour, with
visors, breastplates, and helmets, standing upon the
shoulders of crushed naked figures, probably intend¬
ed to represent the conquering Spaniard trampling
upon the Indian. Mr. Catherwood attempted to
make a drawing of it, and, to avoid the heat of the
sun, went into the plaza at daylight for that purpose;
but he was so annoyed by the crowd that he was
obliged to give it up. There is reason to believe
that it is a combination of Spanish and Indian art.
The design is certainly Spanish, but as, at that ear¬
ly period of the conquest, but five years after the
foundation of Merida, Spaniards were but few, and
each man considered himself a conqueror, prob¬
ably there were none who practised the mechanic
arts. The execution was no doubt the work of In¬
dians, and perhaps the carving was done with their
own instruments, and not those furnished them by
the Spaniards.
The history of the erection of this building would
be interesting and instructive; and, with the hope of
learning something about it, I proposed to examine
thoroughly the archives of the cabildo; but I was ad¬
vised that all the early archives were lost, or in such
confusion that it would be a Herculean labour to ex-
Vol. I.— M
90
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
plore them, and I saw that it would consume more
time than I should be able to devote to it.
Besides the inscription on the stone, the only in¬
formation that exists in regard to this building is a
statement in Cogolludo, that the faqade cost fourteen
thousand dollars. It is now the property of Don
Simon Peon, and is occupied by his family. It has
been lately repaired, and some of the beams are no
doubt the same which held up the roof over the ade-
lantado. . • .
Eight streets lead from the plaza, two in the direc¬
tion of each cardinal point. In every street, at the
distance of a few squares, is a gate, now dismantled,
and beyond are the barrios, or suburbs.
The streets are distinguished in a manner pecu¬
liar to Yucatan. In the angle of the corner house,
and on the top, stands a painted wooden figure of an
elephant, a bull, a flamingo, or some other visible ob¬
ject, and the street is called by the name of this ob¬
ject. On one comer there is the figure of an old
woman with large spectacles on her nose, and the
street is called la Calle de la Vieja, or the Street of
the Old Woman. That in which we lived had on
the corner house a flamingo, and was called the Street
of the Flamingo ; and the reason of the streets being
named in this way gives some idea of the character
of the people. The great mass of the inhabitants,
universally the Indians, cannot read. Printed signs
would be of no use, but every Indian knows the sign
of an elephant, a bull, or a flamingo.
CHURCHES.
9 J
In the front wall of a house in a street running
north from the plaza, and also in a corner house near
the square of the Alameda, are sculptured figures from
the ruins of ancient buildings, of which Mr. Cather-
wood made drawings, but, in the multiplicity of other
subjects, we do not think it worth while to present
them to the reader.
The great distinguishing feature of Merida, as of
all the cities of Spanish America, is in its churches.
The great Cathedral; the parish church and convent
of San Cristoval; the church of the Jesuits; the
church and convent of the Mejorada ; the chapels
of San Juan Bautista ; of Our Lady of Candelaria;
of the Santa Lucia and the Virgin, and the convent
de las monjas, or the nunnery, with its church and
enclosures occupying two whole squares, are all in¬
teresting in their history. Some are of good style
in architecture, and rich in ornaments ; but there is
one other, not yet mentioned, which I regard as the
most interesting and remarkable edifice in Merida.
It is the old Franciscan convent. It stands on an
eminence in the eastern part of the city, and is en¬
closed by a high wall, with turrets, forming what is
now called the Castillo. These walls and turrets are
still erect, but within is ruin irretrievable.
In 1820 the new constitution obtained by the pa¬
triots in Spain reached the colonies, and on the 30 th
of May Don Juan Rivas Vertiz, then Gefe Politico,
and now living in Merida, a fine memorial of the
olden time, published it in the plaza. The church
92
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
sustained the old order of things, and the Francis¬
can friars, confident in their hold upon the feelings
of the populace, endeavoured to put down this
demonstration of liberal feeling. A mob gathered in
the plaza; friars appeared among them, urging them
on; field-pieces were brought out, the mob dispers¬
ed, and Don Juan Rivas marched to the Franciscan
convent, opened the doors, drove out the monks, above
300 in number, at the point of the bayonet, and gave
up the building to destruction. The superior and
some of the brothers became seculars or regular
priests; others turned to worldly pursuits; and of this
once powerful order, but eleven are now left who
wear the garb of the Franciscan monks.
It was in company with one of these that I paid
my last visit to this convent. We entered by the
great portal of the castle wall into an overgrown
courtyard. In front was the convent, with its large
corridors and two great churches, the walls of all
three standing, but without doors or windows. The
roof of one of the churches had fallen, and the broad
glare of day was streaming into the interior. We
entered the other—the oldest, and identified with
the times of the conquerors. Near the door was a
blacksmith’s forge. A Mestizo was blowing at the
bellows, hauling out a red-hot bar of iron, and ham¬
mering it into spikes. All along the floor were half-
naked Indians and brawny Mestizoes, hewing tim¬
ber, driving nails, and carrying on the business of
making gun-carriages for artillery. The altars were
FRANCISCAN CONVENT.
93
thrown down and the walls defaced; half way up
were painted on them, in coarse and staring red
characters (in Spanish), “ First squadron,” “ Second
squadronand at the head of the church, under a
golden gloria, were the words “ Comp’y Light Infant¬
ry.” The church had been occupied as barracks,
and these were the places where they stacked their
arms. As we passed through, the workmen stared at
my companion, or rather at the long blue gown, the
cord around his waist, and the cross dangling from
it—the garb of his scattered order. It was the first
time he had visited the place since the expulsion ot
the monks. To me it was mournful to behold the
destruction and desecration of this noble building;
what, then, must it have been to him ? In the floor
of the church near the altar and in the sacristia
were open vaults, but the bones of the monks had
been thrown out and scattered on the floor. Some
of these were the bones of his earliest friends. We
passed into the refectory, and he pointed out the
position of the long table at which the brotherhood
took their meals, and the stone fountain at which
they performed their ablutions. His old compan¬
ions in their long blue gowns rose up before him,
now scattered forever, and their home a desolation
and ruin.
But this convent contains one memorial far more
interesting than any connected with its own ruin;
one that carries the beholder back through centu-
94
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ries of time, and tells the story of a greater and a
sadder fall.
In one of the lower cloisters going out from the
north, and under the principal dormitory, are two
parallel corridors. The outer one faces the princi¬
pal patio, and this corridor has that peculiar arch so
often referred to in my previous volumes, two sides
rising to meet each other, and covered, when within
about a foot of forming an apex, by a flat layer of
stones. There can be no mistake about the char¬
acter of this arch; it cannot for a moment be sup¬
posed that the Spaniards constructed anything so
different from their known rules of architecture;
and beyond doubt it formed part of one of those
mysterious buildings which have given rise to so
much speculation; the construction of which has
been ascribed to the most aticient people in the Old
World, and to races lost, perished, and unknown.
I am happy thus early in these pages to have an
opportunity of recurring to the opinion expressed in
my former volumes, in regard to the builders of the
ancient American cities.
The conclusion to which I came was, that “ there
are not sufficient grounds for belief in the great an¬
tiquity that has been ascribed to these ruins“ that
we are not warranted in going back to any ancient
nation of the Old World for the builders of these
cities; that they are not the works of people who
have passed away, and whose history is lost; but
that there are strong reasons to believe them the
RUINED CITIES OF AMERICA. 95
creation of the same races who inhabited the coun¬
try at the time of the Spanish conquest, or of some
not very distant progenitors.”
This opinion was not given lightly, nor without
due consideration. It was adverse to my feelings,
which would fain have thrown around the ruins the
interest of mystery and hoary age; and even now,
though gratified at knowing that my opinion has
been fully sustained, I would be willing to abandon
it, and involve the reader and myself in doubt, did cir¬
cumstances warrant me in so doing; but I am
obliged to say that subsequent investigations have
fortified and confirmed my previous conclusions,
and, in fact, have made conviction what before was
mere matter of opinion.
When I wrote the account of my former journey,
the greatest difficulty attending the consideration of
this subject was the absence of all historical record
concerning the places visited. Copan had some
history, but it was obscure, uncertain, and unsatis¬
factory. Quirigua, Palenque, and Uxmal had none
whatever; but a ray of historic light beams upon
the solitary arch in the ruined convent of Merida.
In the account of the conquest of Yucatan by
Cogolludo it is stated, that on the arrival of the
Spaniards at the Indian town of Tihoo, on the site
of which, it will be remembered, Merida now stands,
they found many cerros hechos a mano, i. e., hills
made by hand, or artificial mounds, and that on one
of these mounds the Spaniards encamped.
96
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
This mound, it is stated, stood on the ground now
occupied by the plaza major. East of it was anoth¬
er large mound, and the Spaniards laid the founda¬
tion of the city between these two, because, as it is
assigned, the stones in them were a great conveni¬
ence in building, and economized the labour of the
Indians. These mounds were so large, it is added,
that with the stones the Spaniards built all the edi¬
fices in the city, so that the ground which forms the
plaza major remained nearly or quite level. The
buildings erected are specified, and it is added that
there was abundance of material for other edifices
which the Spaniards wished to erect.
Other mounds are mentioned as obstructing the
laying out of streets according to the plan proposed,
and there is one circumstance which bears directly
upon this point, and, in my opinion, is conclusive.
In the history of the construction of the Francis¬
can convent, which was founded in the year 1547,
five years after the arrival of the Spaniards in Ti-
hoo, it is expressly stated that it was built upon a
small artificial mound, one of the many that were
then in the place, on which mound, it is added, were
some ancient buildings. Now we must either sup¬
pose that the Spaniards razed these buildings to the
ground, and then constructed this strange arch them¬
selves, which supposition is, I think, utterly untena¬
ble, or that this corridor formed part of the ancient
buildings which, according to the historical account,
stood on this artificial mound, and that for some
FORMER CONCLUSIONS CONFIRMED. 97
I
purpose or other the monks incorporated it with
their convent.
There is but one way to overthrow this latter
conclusion, and that is by contending that these
mounds were all ruined, and this building too, at the
time when it was made to form part of the convent;
but then we are reduced to the necessity of suppo¬
sing that a great town, the fame of which reached
the Spaniards at Campeachy, and which made a
desperate and bloody resistance to their occupation
of it, was a mere gathering of hordes around the
ruined buildings of another race; and, besides, it is
a matter of primary importance to note that these
artificial mounds are mentioned, not in the course
of describing the Indian town, for no description
whatever is attempted, but merely incidentally, as
affording conveniences to the Spaniards in furnish¬
ing materials for building the city, or as causing ob¬
structions in the laying out of streets regularly and
according to the plan proposed. The mound on
which the convent stands would perhaps not have
been mentioned at all but for the circumstance that
the Padre Cogolludo was a Franciscan friar, and
the mention of it enabled him to pay a tribute to
the memory of the blessed father Luis de Villpan-
do, then superior of the convent, and to show the
great estimation in which he was held, for he says
that the adelantado had fixed upon this mound for
the site of one of his fortresses, but on the applica¬
tion 'of the superior he yielded it to him readily for
Vol. I.— N 9
98
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the site of the convent; and, more than all this, even
in the incidental way in which these mounds are
referred to, there is one circumstance which shows
clearly that they were not at that time disused and'
in ruins, but, on the contrary, were then in the ac¬
tual use and occupation of the Indians; for Cogol-
ludo mentions particularly and with much detail
one that completely obstructed the running of a par¬
ticular street, which, he says, was called El grande
de los Kues, adoratorio que era de los idolos. Now
the word “ Kues,” in the Maya language, as spoken
by the Indians of Yucatan at the present day, means
their ancient places of worship, and the word “ ad¬
oratorio,” as defined in the Spanish dictionary, is
the name given by the Spaniards to the temples of
idols in America. So that when the historian de¬
scribes this mound as El grande de los Kues el ad¬
oratorio de los idolos, he means to say that it was
the great one, or the greatest among the places of
worship of the Indians, or the temples of their
idols.
It is called the “ great one” of their places of
worship, in contradistinction to the smaller ones
around, among which was that now occupied by
the Franciscan convent. In my opinion, the soli¬
tary arch found in this convent is very strong, if not
conclusive, evidence that all the ruined buildings
scattered over Yucatan were erected by the very
Indians who occupied the country at the time of
the Spanish conquest, or, to fall back upon my old
THE BUILDERS OP THESE CITIES. 99
ground, that they were the work “ of the same race
of people,” or “ their not very distant progeni¬
tors.”
Who these races were, whence they came, or
who were their progenitors, I did not undertake to
say, nor do I now.
100
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL,
CHAPTER V.
Daguerreotype Apparatus.—Set up as Ladies’ Daguerreotype Por¬
trait Takers.—Preparations.—A pretty young Lady to begin
with.—Preliminaries.—A Chapter of Contingencies.—Success
of the first Experiment.—Other successful Experiments.—A
Change of Fortune.—Give up this Business.—An Incident.—
Take up the Practice of Surgery.—Operation for Strabismus.
—Details.—First Subject.—A great Gathering of Squint Eyes.
—A troublesome Patient.—A little Hero.—Extraordinaiy In¬
stance of Fortitude.—A Military Patient.—A Female Patient.
—Practice of Surgery abandoned.—Instability of Fame.
But the reader must not suppose that our only
business in Merida was the investigation of antiqui¬
ties ; we had other operations in hand which gave
us plenty of employment. We had taken with us a
Daguerreotype apparatus, of which but one speci¬
men had ever before appeared in Yucatan. Great
improvements had been since made in the instrument,
and we had reason to believe that ours was one of
the best; and having received assurances that we
might do a large business in that line, we were indu¬
ced to set up as ladies’ Daguerreotype portrait ta¬
kers. It was a new line for us, and rather venture¬
some, but not worse than for the editor of a news¬
paper to turn captain of a steamboat; and, besides,
it was not like banking—we could not injure any
one by a failure.
Having made trials upon ourselves until we were
tired of the subjects, and with satisfactory results, we
considered ourselves sufficiently advanced to begin;
and as we intended to practice for the love of the
DAGUERREOTYPE PORTRAIT TAKING. 101
art, and not for lucre, we held that we had a right
to select our subjects. Accordingly, we had but to
signify our wishes, and the next morning put our
house in order for the reception of our fair visiters.
We cleared everything out of the hammock, took
the washhand basin off the chair, and threw odds
and ends into one corner; and as the sun was pour¬
ing its rays warmly and brightly into our door, it
was farther lighted up by the entry of three young
ladies, with their respective papas and mammas.
We had great difficulty in finding them all seats,
and were obliged to put the two mammas into the
hammock together. The young ladies were dressed
in their prettiest costume, with earrings and chains,
and their hair adorned with flowers. All were pret¬
ty, and one was much more than pretty; not in the
style of Spanish beauty, with dark eyes and hair,
but a delicate and dangerous blonde, simple, natural,
and unaffected, beautiful without knowing it, and
really because she could not help it. Her name, too,
was poetry itself. I am bound to single her out, for,
late on the evening of our departure from Merida,
she sent us a large cake, measuring about three
feet in circumference by six inches deep, which,
by-the-way, everything being packed up, I smother¬
ed into a pair of saddle-bags, and spoiled some of my
scanty stock of wearing apparel.
The ceremonies of the reception over, we made
immediate preparations to begin. Much form and
circumstance were necessary in settling prelimina-
102
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ries; and as we were in no hurry to get rid of our
subjects, we had more formalities than usual to go
through with.
Our first subject was the lady of the poetical name.
It was necessary to hold a consultation upon her
costume, whether the colours were pretty and such
as would be brought out well or not; whether a scarf
around the neck was advisable; whether the hair was
well arranged, the rose becoming, and in the best
position; then to change it, and consider the effect
of the change, and to say and do many other things
which may suggest themselves to the reader’s ima¬
gination, and all which gave rise to many profound
remarks in regard to artistical effect, and occupied
much time.
The lady being arrayed to the best advantage, it
was necessary to seat her with reference to a right
adjustment of light and shade; to examine carefully
the falling of the light upon her face; then to con¬
sult whether it was better to take a front or a side
view; to look at the face carefully in both positions;
and, finally, it was necessary to secure the head in the
right position; that it should be neither too high nor 1
too low; too much on. one side nor on the other;
and as this required great nicety, it was sometimes
actually indispensable to turn the beautiful little head
with our own hands, which, however, was a very in¬
nocent way of turning a young lady’s head.
Next it was necessary to get the young lady into
focus—that is, to get her into the box, which, in
THE Fin ST SUBJECT.
103
short, means, to get a reflection of her face on the
glass in the camera obscura at that one particular
point of view which presented it better than any
other; and when this was obtained, the miniature
likeness of the object was so faithfully ' reflected,
that, as artists carried away by enthusiasm, we were
obliged to call in the papas and mammas, who pro¬
nounced it beautiful—to which dictum we were in
courtesy obliged to respond.
The plate was now cleaned, put into the box, and
the light shut off. Now came a trying time for the
young lady. She must neither open her lips nor
roll her eyes for one minute and thirty seconds by
the watch. This eternity at length ended, and the
plate was taken out.
So far our course had been before the wind.
Every new formality had but increased our impor¬
tance in the eyes of our fair visiters and their re¬
spectable companions. Mr. Catherwood retired to
the adjoining room to put the plate in the mercury
bath, while we, not knowing what the result might
be, a little fearful, and neither wishing to rob an¬
other of the honour he might be justly entitled to,
nor to be dragged down by another’s failure, thought
best to have it distinctly understood that Mr. Cath¬
erwood was the maestro, and that we were merely
amateurs. At the same time, on Mr. Catherwood’s
account, I took occasion to suggest that the process
was so complicated, and its success depended upon
such a variety of minute circumstances, it seemed
104 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
really wonderful that it ever turned out well. The
plate might not be good, or not well cleaned; or the
chemicals might not be of the best; or the plate
might be left too long in the iodine box, or taken
out too soon ; or left too long in the bromine box,
or taken out too soon; or a ray of light might strike
it on putting it into the camera or in taking it out;
or it might be left too long in the camera or taken
out too soon; or too long in the mercury bath or
taken out too soon ; and even though all these pro¬
cesses were right and regular, there might be some
other fault of omission or commission which we
were not aware of; besides which, climate and at¬
mosphere liad great influence, and might render all
of no avail. These little suggestions we considered
necessary to prevent too great a disappointment in
case of failure; and perhaps our fair visiters were
somewhat surprised at our audacity in undertaking
at all such a doubtful experiment, and using them as
instruments. The result, however, was enough to
induce us never again to adopt prudential measures,
for the young lady’s image was stamped upon the
plate, and made a picture which enchanted her and
satisfied the critical judgment of her friends and ad¬
mirers.
Our experiments upon the other ladies were equal¬
ly successful, and the morning glided away in this
pleasant occupation.
We continued practising a few days longer; and
as all our good results were extensively shown, and
;
A CHANGE OF FORTUNE.
105
the poor ones we took care to keep out of sight, our
reputation increased, and we had abundance of ap¬
plications.
In this state of things we requested some friends
to whom we were under many obligations, to be
permitted to wait upon them at their houses. On
receiving their assent, the next morning at nine
o’clock Mr. C. in a caleza, with all the complicated
apparatus packed around him, drove up to their
door. I followed on foot. It was our intention to
go through the whole family, uncles, aunts, grand¬
children, down to Indian servants, as many as would
sit; but man is born to disappointment. I spare
the reader the recital of our misfortunes that day.
It would be too distressing. Suffice it to say that
we tried plate after plate, sitting after sitting, vary¬
ing light, time, and other points of the process; but
it was all in vain. The stubborn instrument seem¬
ed bent upon confounding us ; and, covering our
confusion as well as we could, we gathered up our
Daguerreotype and carried ourselves off. What
was the cause of our complete discomfiture we nev¬
er ascertained, but we resolved to give up business
as ladies’ Daguerreotype portrait takers.
There was one interesting incident connected
with our short career of practice. Among the por¬
traits put forth was one of a lady, which came to the
knowledge of a gentleman particularly interested in
the fair original. This gentleman had never taken
any especial notice of us before, but now he called
Voi.. I.—O
106
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
upon us, and very naturally the conversation turned
upon that art of which we were then professors.
The portrait of this lady was mentioned, and by the
time he had finished his third straw cigar, he unbur¬
dened himself of the special object of his visit, which
was to procure a portrait of her for himself. This
seemed natural enough, and we assented, provided
he would get her to sit; but he did not wish either
her or her friends to know anything about it. This
was a difficulty. It was not very easy to take it by
stealth. However strong an impression a young
lady may make by a glance upon some substances,
she can do nothing upon a silver plate. Here she
requires the aid of iodine, bromine, and mercury.
But the young man was fertile in expedients. He
said that we could easily make some excuse, prom¬
ising her something more perfect, and in making two
or three impressions, could slip one away for him.
This was by no means a bad suggestion, at least so
far as he was concerned, but we had some qualms
of conscience. While we were deliberating, a mat¬
ter was introduced which perhaps lay as near Doc¬
tor Cabot’s heart as the young lady did that of our
friend. That was a pointer or setter dog for hunt¬
ing, of which the doctor was in great want. The
gentleman said he had one—the only one in Meri¬
da—and he would give it for the portrait. It was
rather an odd proposition, but to offer a dog for his
mistress’s portrait was very different from offering
his mistress’s portrait for a dog. It was clear that
PRACTICE OF SURGERY.
107
the young man was in a bad way; he would lay
down his life, give up smoking, part with his dog, or
commit any other extravagance. The case was
touching. The doctor was really interested; and,
after all, what harm could it do 1 The doctor and
I went to look at the dog, but it turned out to be a
mere pup, entirely unbroken, and what the result
might have been I do not know, but all farther ne¬
gotiations were broken off by the result of our out-
of-door practice and disgust for the business.
There is no immediate connexion between ta¬
king Daguerreotype portraits and the practice of
surgery, but circumstances bring close together things
entirely dissimilar in themselves, and we went from
one to the other. Secluded as Merida is, and sel¬
dom visited by strangers, the fame of new discover¬
ies in science is slow in reaching it, and the new
operation ofMons. Guerin for the cure of strabismus
had not been heard of. In private intercourse we
had spoken of this operation, and, in order to make
it known, and extend its benefits, Doctor Cabot had
offered to perform it in Merida. The Merida peo¬
ple have generally fine eyes, but, either because our
attention was particularly directed to it, or that it
is really the case, there seemed to be more squint¬
ing eyes, or biscos, as they are called, than are usu¬
ally seen in any one town, and in Merida, as in some
other places, this is not esteemed a beauty; but, ei¬
ther from want of confidence in a stranger, or a
cheap estimation of the qualifications of a medico
108 INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
who asked no pay for his services, the doctor’s phil¬
anthropic purposes were not appreciated. At least,
no one cared to be the first; and as the doctor had
no sample of his skill with him, no subject offered.
We had fixed the day for our departure ; and the
evening but one before, a direct overture was made
to the doctor to perform the operation. The subject
was a boy, and the application in his behalf was
made by a gentleman who formed one of a circle in
which we were in the habit of visiting, and whom
we were all happy to have it in our power to serve.
The time was fixed at ten o’clock the next day.
After breakfast our sala was put in order for the re¬
ception of company, and the doctor for the first time
looked to his instruments. He had some misgiv¬
ings. They were of very fine workmanship, made
in Paris, most sensitive to the influence of the at¬
mosphere, and in that climate it was almost impos¬
sible to preserve anything metallic from rust. The
doctor had packed the case among his clothing in
the middle of his trunk, and had taken every possi¬
ble precaution, but, as usual upon such occasions,
the most important instrument had rusted at the
point, and in that state was utterly useless. There
was no cutler in the place, nor any other person
competent to touch it. Mr. Catlierwood, however,
brought out an old razor hone, and between them
they worked off the rust.
At ten o’clock the doctor’s subject made his ap¬
pearance. He was the son of a widow lady of very
DETAILS OF THE OPERATION. 109
respectable family, about fourteen years old, but
small of stature, and presenting even to the most
casual glance the stamp of a little gentleman. He
had large black eyes, but, unluckily, their expression
was very much injured by an inward squint. With
the light heart of boyhood, however, he seemed in¬
different to his personal appearance, and came, as
he said, because his mother told him to do so. His
handsome person, and modest and engaging man¬
ners, gave us immediately a strong interest in his fa¬
vour. He was accompanied by the gentleman who
had spoken of bringing him, Dr. Bado, a Guati-
malian educated in Paris, the oldest and principal
physician of Merida, and by several friends of the
family, whom we did not know.
Preparations were commenced immediately. The
first movement was to bring out a long table near
the window; then to spread upon it a mattress and
pillow, and upon these to spread the boy. Until
the actual moment of operating, the precise charac¬
ter of this new business had not presented itself to
my mind, and altogether it opened by no means so
favourably as Daguerreotype practice.
Not aiming to be technical, but desiring to give
the reader the benefit of such scraps of learning as
I pick up in my travels, modern science has discov¬
ered that the eye is retained in its orbit by six mus¬
cles, which pull it up and down, inward and out¬
ward, and that the undue contraction of either of
these muscles produces that obliquity called squint-
10
110
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ing, which was once supposed to proceed from con¬
vulsions in childhood, or other unknown causes.
The cure discovered is the cutting of the contract¬
ed muscle, by means of which the eye falls imme¬
diately into its proper place. This muscle lies un¬
der the surface; and, as it is necessary to pass through
a membrane of the eye, the cutting cannot be done
with a broadaxe or a handsaw. In fact, it requires
a knowledge of the anatomy of the eye, manual dex¬
terity, fine instruments, and Mr. Catherwood and
myself for assistants.
Our patient remained perfectly quiet, with his lit¬
tle hands folded across his breast; but while the
knife was cutting through the muscle he gave one
groan, so piteous and heart-rending, that it sent into
the next room all who were not immediately enga¬
ged. But before the sound of the groan had died
away the operation was over, and the boy rose with
his eye bleeding, but perfectly straight. A bandage
was tied over it, and, with a few directions for its
treatment, amid the congratulations and praises of all
present, and wearing the same smile with which he
had entered, the little fellow walked off to his mother.
The news of this wonder spread rapidly, and be¬
fore night Dr. Cabot had numerous and pressing ap¬
plications, among which was one from a gentleman
whom we were all desirous to oblige, and who had
this defect in both eyes.
On his account we determined to postpone our
departure another day; and, in furtherance of his
A GATHERING OF SQUINT EYES. Ill
original purpose, Dr. Cabot mentioned that he would
perform the operation upon all who chose to offer.
We certainly took no trouble to spread this notice,
but the next morning, when we returned from break¬
fast, there was a gathering of squint-eyed boys
around the door, who, with their friends and back¬
ers, made a formidable appearance, and almost ob¬
structed our entrance. As soon as the door opened
there was a rush inside ; and as some of these slant¬
ing eyes might not be able to distinguish between
meum and tuum, we were obliged to help their pro¬
prietors out into the street again.
At ten o’clock the big table was drawn up to the
window, and the mattress and pillow were spread
upon it, but there was such a gathering around the
window that we had to hang up a sheet before it.
^Invitations had been given to Dr. Bado and Dr.
Munoz, and all physicians who chose to come, and
having met the governor in the evening, I had ask¬
ed him to be present. These all honoured us with
their company, together with a number of self-invi¬
ted persons, who had introduced themselves, and
could not well be turned out, making quite a crowd¬
ed room.
The first who presented himself was a stout lad
about nineteen or twenty, whom we had never seen
or heard of before. Who he was or where he came
from we did not know, but he was a bisco of the
worst kind, and seemed able-bodied enough to un¬
dergo anything in the way of surgery. As soon as
112
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the doctor began to cut the muscle, however, our
strapping patient gave signs of restlessness ; and all
at once, with an actual bellow, he jerked his head
on one side, carried away the doctor’s hook, and
shut his eye upon it with a sort of lockjaw grip, as
if determined it should never be drawn out. How
my hook got out I have no idea; fortunately, the
doctor let his go, or the lad’s eye would have been
scratched out. As it was, there he sat with the
bandage slipped above one eye, and the other closed
upon the hook, the handle of which stood out
straight. Probably at that moment he would have
been willing to sacrifice pride of personal appear¬
ance, keep his squint, and go through life with his
eye shut, the hook in it, and the handle sticking out;
but the instrument was too valuable to be lost. And
it was interesting and instructive to notice the dif¬
ference between the equanimity of one who had a
hook in his eye, and that of lookers-on who had not.
All the spectators upbraided him with his cowardice
and want of heart, and after a round of reproof to
which he could make no answer, he opened his eye
and let out the hook. But he had made a bad bu¬
siness of it. A few seconds longer, and the opera¬
tion would have been completed. As it was, the
whole work had to be repeated. As the muscle was
again lifted under the knife, I thought I saw a glare
in the eyeball that gave token of another fling of the
head, but the lad was fairly browbeaten into quiet;
and, to the great satisfaction of all, with a double
A LITTLE HERO.
113
share of blackness and blood, and with very little
sympathy from any one, but with his eye straight, he
descended from the table. Outside he was receiv¬
ed with a loud shout by the boys, and we never
heard of him again.
The room was now full of people, and, being al¬
ready disgusted with the practice of surgery, I sin¬
cerely hoped that this exhibition would cure all oth¬
ers of a wish to undergo the operation, but a little
Mestizo boy, about ten years old, who had been
present all the time, crept through the crowd, and,
reaching the table, squinted up at us without speak¬
ing, his crisscross expression telling us very plainly
what he wanted. He had on the usual Mestizo dress
of cotton shirt and drawers and straw hat, and seemed
so young, simple, and innocent, that we did not con¬
sider him capable of judging for himself. We told
him he must not be operated on, but he answered,
in a decided though modest tone, “ Yo quiero, yo
quiero,” “ I wish it, I wish it.” We inquired if there
was any one present who had any authority over
him, and a man whom we had not noticed before,
dressed, like him, in shirt and drawers, stepped for¬
ward and said he was the boy’s father; he had
brought him there himself on purpose, and begged
Doctor Cabot to proceed. By his father’s directions,
the little fellow attempted to climb up on the table,
but his legs were too short, and he had to be lifted
up. His eye was bandaged, and his lieJIl placed
upon the pillow. He folded his hands across his
Vol. I.—P
114
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
breast, turned his eye, did in all things exactly as he
was directed, and in half a minute the operation was
finished. I do not believe that he changed his posi¬
tion a hair’s breadth or moved a muscle. It was an
extraordinary instance of fortitude. The spectators
were all admiration, and, amid universal congratula¬
tion, he was lifted from the table, his eye bound up,
and, without a word, but with the spirit of a little
hero, he took his father’s hand and went away.
At this time, amid a press of applicants, a gentle¬
man came to inform us that a young lady was wait¬
ing her turn. This gave us an excuse for clearing
the room, and we requested all except the medical
gentlemen and the immediate friends to favour us
with their absence. Such was the strange curiosity
these people had for seeing a most disagreeable spec¬
tacle, that they were very slow in going away, and
some slipped into the other rooms and the yard, but
we ferreted them out, and got the room somewhat
to ourselves.
The young lady was accompanied by her moth¬
er. She was full of hesitation and fears, anxious to
be relieved, but doubting her ability to endure the
pain, and the moment she saw the instruments, her
courage entirely forsook her. Doctor Cabot dis¬
couraged all who had any distrust of their own for¬
titude, and, to my mingled joy and regret, she went
away.
The ftxt in order was the gentleman on whose
account we had postponed our departure. He was
A MILITARY PATIENT.
115
the oldest general in the Mexican service, but for
two years an exile in Merida. By the late revolu¬
tion, which placed Santa Ana in power, his party
was uppermost; and he had strong claims upon our
good feelings, for, in a former expatriation from Mex¬
ico, he had served as volunteer aid to General Jack-
son at the battle of New-Orleans. This gentleman
had an inward squint in both eyes, which, however,
instead of being a defect, gave character to his face;
but his sight was injured by it, and this Doctor Ca¬
bot thought might be improved. The first eye was
cut quickly and successfully, and while the bloody
orb was rolling in its socket, the same operation was
performed upon the other. In this, however, fear¬
ing that the eye might be drawn too far in the op¬
posite direction, the doctor had not thought it ad¬
visable to cut the muscle entirely through, and, on
examining it, he was not satisfied with the appear¬
ance. The general again laid his head upon the
pillow, and the operation was repeated, making three
times in rapid succession. Altogether, it was a try¬
ing thing, and I felt immensely happy when it was
over. With his eyes all right and both bandaged,
we carried him to a caleza in waiting, where, to the
great amusement of the vagabond boys, he took his
seat on the footboard, with his back to the horse, and
it was some time before we could get him right.
In the mean time the young lady had returned
with her mother. She could not bear to lose the
opportunity, and though unable to make up her mind
116
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
to undergo the operation, she could not keep away.
She was about eighteen, of lively imagination, pic¬
turing pleasure or pain in the strongest colours, and
with a smile ever ready to chase away the tear. At
one moment she roused herself to the effort, and the
next, calling herself coward, fell into her mother’s
arms, while her mother cheered and encouraged her,
representing to her, with that confidence allowed be¬
fore medical men, the advantage it would give her
in the eyes of our sex. Her eyes were large, full,
and round, and with the tear glistening in them, the
defect was hardly visible; in fact, all that they want¬
ed was to be made to roll in the right direction.
j I have given the reader a faint picture of Daguer¬
reotype practice with young ladies, but this was al¬
together another thing, and it was very different from
having to deal with boys or men. It is easy enough
to spread out a boy upon a table, but not so with a
young lady; so, too, it is easy enough to tie a bandage
around a boy’s head, but vastly different among combs
and curls, and long hair done up behind. As the
principal assistant of Doctor Cabot, this complica¬
ted business devolved upon me; and having, with
the help of her mother, accomplished it, I laid her
head upon the pillow as carefully as if it had been
my own property. In all the previous cases I had
found it necessary, in order to steady my hand, to
lean my elbow on the table, and my wrist on the
forehead of the patient. I did the same with her,
and, if I know myself, I never gazed into any eyes
«■
PRACTICE OF SURGERY ABANDONED. 117
as I did into that young lady’s one eye in particular.
When the doctor drew out the instrument, I certain¬
ly could have taken her in my arms, but her imagi¬
nation had been too powerful; her eyes closed, a
slight shudder seized her, and she fainted. That
passed off, and she rose with her eyes all right. A
young gentleman was in attendance to escort her
to her home, and the smile had again returned to
her cheek as he told her that now her lover would
not know her.
This case had occupied a great deal of time ; the
doctor’s labours were doubled by the want of regu¬
lar surgical aid, he was fatigued with the excitement,
and I was worn out; my head was actually swim¬
ming with visions of bleeding and mutilated eyes,
and I almost felt doubtful about my own. The rep¬
etition of the operations had not accustomed me to
them; indeed, the last was more painful to me than
the first, and I felt willing to abandon forever the
practice of surgery. Doctor Cabot had explained
the modus operandi fully to the medical gentlemen,
had offered to procure them instruments, and consid¬
ering the thing fairly introduced into the country, we
determined to stop. But this was not so easy; the
crowd out of doors had their opinion on the subject;
the biscos considered that we were treating them
outrageously, and became as clamorous as a mob in
a western city about to administer Lynch law. One
would not be kept back. He was a strapping youth,
with cast enough in his eye to carry everything be-
118
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
fore him, and had probably been taunted all his life
by merciless schoolboys. Forcing himself inside,
with his hands in his pockets, he said that he had
the money to pay for it, and would not be put off
We were obliged to apologize, and, with a little wish
to bring him down, gave him some hope that he
should be attended to on our return to Merida.
The news of these successes flew like wild-fire, and
a great sensation was created throughout the city.
All the evening Doctor Cabot was besieged with ap¬
plications, and I could but think how fleeting is this
world’s fame! At first my arrival in the country
had been fairly trumpeted in the newspapers ; for
a little while Mr. Catherwood had thrown me in the
shade with the Daguerreotype, and now all our glo¬
ries were swallowed up by Doctor Cabot’s cure of
strabismus. . Nevertheless, his fame was reflected
upon us. All the afternoon squint-eyed boys were
passing up and down the street, throwing slanting
glances in at the door, and toward evening, as Mr.
Catherwood and I were walking to the plaza, we
were hailed by some vagabond urchins with the ob¬
streperous shout, “ There go the men who cure the
biscos.”
DEPARTURE FROM MERIDA. 119
CHAPTER VI.
Departure from Merida.—Map of Yucatan.—Timucui.—Tekoh.—
Human Sculls and Bones.—Church of Tekoh.—Convent.—A
revolting Spectacle.—View from the Top of the Church.—Cura
of Tekoli.—Journey continued.—A curious Basin.—Telchaquil-
lo.—A subterraneous Well.—An extraordinary Cave.—Hacien¬
da of Joaquim.—Ruins of Mayapan.—A remarkable Mound.—
Curious sculptured Remains.—Another extraordinary Cave.—A
circular Edifice.—A double Row of Columns. —Ranges of
Mounds.—Arches.—Derivation of the Word Yucatan.—Ancient
City of Mayapan.
On Thursday, the twelfth day of November, we
rose for our departure from Merida. The plan of
our route, and all the arrangements for our journey,
were made by our friend Don Simon Peon. Early
in the morning our luggage was sent forward on the
backs of' mules and Indians, and we had only to take
leave of our friends. Our landlord refused to re¬
ceive the four dollars due to him for rent. The
pleasure of our society, he said, was compensation
enough, and between friends house-rent was not to
be thought of. We bade him an affectionate fare¬
well, and in all probability “ we ne’er shall see his
like again,” at least in this matter of house-rent.
We breakfasted for the last time with our country¬
men, including Mr. Fisher and Captain M'Kinley,
who had arrived that morning direct from New-
York, at the house of the Dona Micaela, and, at¬
tended by the good wishes of all for our safety and
success, mounted for our journey into the interior.
It was our intention to resume our explorations
120
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
at Uxmal, the point where we were interrupted by
the illness of Mr. Catherwood. We had received
intelligence, however, of the ruins of Mayapan, an
ancient city which had never been visited, about
eight leagues distant from Merida, and but a few
leagues aside from the road, by the haciendas, to
Uxmal. The accounts which we could obtain were
meager, and it was represented as completely in ru¬
ins ; but, in fulfilment of the purpose we at that time
entertained of going to every place of which we
heard any account whatever, we determined to visit
this on our way to Uxmal. It was for Mayapan,
therefore, that we were now setting out.
Our saddles, bridles, holsters, and pistols, being en¬
tirely different from the mountings of horsemen in
that country, attracted all eyes as we rode through
the streets. A friend accompanied us beyond the
suburbs, and put us into a straight road, which led,
without turning, to the end of our day’s journey.
Instead of the ominous warnings we were accus¬
tomed to receive in Central America, his parting
words were, that there was no danger of robbers, or
of any other interruptions.
Under these favourable circumstances, in good
health and spirits, with recommendations from the
government to its officers in different sections of the
country, and through the newspapers to the hospi¬
tality of citizens in the interior, we set out on our
journey. We had before us a new and unexplored
region, in which we might expect to find new scenes
MAP OF YUCATAN.
121
every day. There was but one drawback. We
had no servant or attendant of any kind, our friends
having been disappointed in procuring those which
were expected. This, however, did not give us
much uneasiness.
The day was overcast, which saved us from the
scorching sun, that otherwise, at this hour, would
have molested us. The road was straight, level,
stony, and uninteresting. On both sides were low,
thick woods, so that there was no view except that
of the road before us; and already, in the beginning
of our journey, we felt that, if we were safe from
the confusion and danger which had attended us in
Central America, we had lost, too, the mountains,
valleys, volcanoes, rivers, and all the wild and mag¬
nificent scenery that gave a charm to the country
in spite of the difficulties and dangers by which
travelling was there attended.
I would remark that no map of Yucatan at all to
be depended on has ever been published. The
Dona Joaquina Peon had one in manuscript, which
she was so kind as to place at our disposal, but with
notice that it was not correct; and, in order to keep
a record of our own track from the time we left
Merida until we returned to it, we took the bearings
of the roads, noted the number of hours on each
day’s journey, and the pace of our horses, and at
some places Mr. Catherwood took an observation
for latitude. From these memoranda our map is
prepared. It is correct so far as regards our route,
Vol. I.—a 11
122
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
but does not fix accurately the location of places
which we did not visit.
At the distance of a league we passed a fine cat¬
tle hacienda, and at twenty minutes past one reach¬
ed Timucui, a small village five leagues from Mer¬
ida. This village consisted of a few Indian huts,
built around a large open square, and on one side
was a sort of shed for a casa real. It had no church
or cura, and already we experienced a difficulty
which we did not expect to encounter so soon.
The population consisted entirely of Indians, who
in general throughout the country speak nothing but
the Maya; there was not a white man in the place,
nor any one who could speak in any tongue that we
could comprehend. Fortunately, a muleteer from
the interior, on his way to Merida, had stopped to
bait his mules under the shade of a large tree, and
was swinging in a hammock in the casa real. He
was surprised at our undertaking alone a journey
into the interior, seeing that we were brought to a
stand at the first village from the capital ; but, find¬
ing us somewhat rational in other respects, he as¬
sisted us in procuring ramon leaves and water for
the horses. His life had been passed in driving
mules from a region of country called the Sierra, to
the capital; but he had heard strange stories about
foreign countries, and, among others, that in El
Norte a man could earn a dollar a day by his la¬
bour ; but he was comforted when he learned that
a real in his country was worth more to him than a
VILLAGE OF TEKOH.
123
dollar would be in ours; and as he interpreted to
his nearly naked companions, crouching in the
shade, nothing touched them so nearly as the idea
of cold and frost, and spending a great portion of
the day’s earnings for fuel to keep from freezing.
At three o’clock we left the hamlet, and at a lit¬
tle after four we saw the towers of the church of
Tekoh. In the suburbs of this village we passed
the campo santo, a large enclosure with high stone
walls; over the gateway of which, and in niches
along the top of the wall, was a row of human
skulls. Inside the enclosure, at the farthest extrem¬
ity, was a pile of skulls and bones, which, according
to a custom of the Indians observed from time im¬
memorial, had been dug up from the graves and
thrown into this shallow pit, a grim and ghastly
charnel-house.
The village consisted of a long, straight street,
with houses or huts almost hidden by foliage, and
inhabited exclusively by Indians. We rode up to
the plaza without meeting a single person. At one
side of the plaza, on a high stone platform, stood a
gigantic church, with two lofty towers, and in front
and on each side was a broad flight of stone steps.
Crossing the plaza we saw an Indian woman, to
whom we uttered the word convento, and, follow¬
ing the direction of her hand, rode up to the house
of the cura. It was in the rear of the church, and
enclosed by a large wall. The gate was closed, but
we opened it without knocking. The convent
124
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
stood on the same platform with the church, and
had a high flight of stone steps. A number of In¬
dian servants ran out to the corridor, to stare at
such strange-looking persons, and we understood
that the padre was not at home; but we were too
well pleased with the appearance of things to think
of going elsewhere. We tied our horses in the yard,
ascended the steps, and strolled through the corridor
of the convent and along the platform of the church,
overlooking the village.
Before the door of the church lay the body of a
child on a bier. There was no coffin, but the body
was wrapped in a tinsel dress of paper of different
colours, in which red and gold were predominant;
and amid this finery worms several inches long were
issuing from its nostrils, curling and twisting over
its face: a piteous and revolting spectacle, showing
the miserable lot of the children of the poor in these
Indian villages.
In a few minutes the ministro, or assistant of the
cura, joined us, from whom we learned that the
cura was preparing to bury this child, and as soon
as it was over, would come to receive us. In the
mean time, under his escort, we ascended to the
top of the church.
The ascent was by a large stone staircase within
one of the towers. The top commanded a view of
a great plain, covered by an almost boundless forest,
extending on one side to the sea, and on the other
to the sierra which crosses the peninsula of Yuca-
CURA OF TEKOH.
125
tan, and runs back to the great traversing range in
Guatimala, broken only by a high mound, which
at three leagues’ distance towered above the plain,
a mourning monument of the ruins of Mayapan,
the capital of the fallen kingdom of Maya.
On our return we found the cura, Don Jose Ca-
nuta Vela, waiting to receive us; he had been noti¬
fied of our coming, and had expected us the day
before. His curacy consisted of nearly two thou¬
sand souls, and, except his ministro, we did not see
a white man among this population. He was un¬
der thirty, born and bred in Merida, and in manners
and attainments apparently out of place in such a
position ; but his feelings and sympathies were iden¬
tified with the people under his charge. The con¬
vent was a great stone building, with walls several
feet thick, and in size corresponded with the church.
Being so near Merida, it was more than ordinarily
well supplied with comforts; and, among other
things, the cura had a small collection of books,
which, for that country, constituted quite a library.
He relieved us of all difficulty arising from the
want of an interpreter, and, sending for the Indian
alcaldes, made immediate arrangements to forward
our luggage, and to accompany us himself the next
day to the ruins of Mayapan. We had again made
a beginning with the padres, and this beginning, in
heartiness of welcome and goodness of cheer, cor¬
responded with all that we had before received at
126
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
their hands. We had the choice of cot or ham¬
mock for the night, and at breakfast a group of In¬
dian musicians were seated under the corridor, who
continued making a noise, which they called la mu-
sica, till we mounted to depart.
The cura accompanied us, mounted on one of the
best horses we had seen in the country; and as it
was a rare thing for him to absent himself a day
from his parochial duties, he set out as for a holy-
day excursion, worrying our poor nags, as well as
ourselves, to keep up with him.
The road upon which we entered turned off ab¬
ruptly from the camino real. This royal road itself,
like most of the others which bore that name, would
not be considered, in other countries, as indicating a
very advanced state of internal improvement, but the
one into which we now struck was much rougher
and more stony, entirely new, and in some places
still unfinished. It had been but lately opened, and
the reason of its being opened at all illustrates one
striking feature in the character of the Indians. The
village to which it leads was under the pastoral
charge of our friendly companion, and was former¬
ly reached by a road, or rather path, so circuitous
and difficult that, on account of his other duties, he
was obliged to give notice that he would be compel¬
led to give it up. To prevent this calamity, all the
Indians, in a body, turned out and made this new
road, being a straight cut through the woods, two
leagues in length.
A CURIOUS BASIN.
127
The padre took a lively interest in the zeal late¬
ly awakened for exploring the antiquities of the
country, and told us that this particular region
abounded with traces of the ancient inhabitants. At
a short distance from the camino real we came to a
line of fallen stones, forming what appeared to be
the remains of a wall which crossed the road, and
ran off into the forest on both sides, traversing, he
said, the country for a great distance in both direc¬
tions.
A short distance beyond, we turned off to a large
hollow basin perfectly dry, which he called an agua-
da, and said it was an artificial formation, excavated
and walled around, and had been used by the ancients
as a reservoir for water. At the time, we did not
agree with him, but considered the basin a natural
formation, though, from what we saw afterward, we
are induced to believe that his account may have
been correct.
At ten o’clock we reached the small village of
Telchaquillo, containing a population of six hundred
souls, and these, again, were all Indians. It was
they who had made the road we had travelled over,
and the church was under our friend’s pastoral
charge. We rode to the convent, and dismounted.
Immediately the bell of the church tolled, to give no¬
tice of his arrival, that all who wished to confess or
get married, who had sick to be visited, children to
be baptized, or dead to be buried, might apply to
him, and have their wants attended to.
128
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
The village consisted entirely of huts, or casas de
paja. The church had been commenced on a large
scale, under the direction of a former cura, who af¬
terward became dissatisfied with the people, and
discontinued the building. One end was covered
over, and fitted up rudely as a chapel; beyond were
two high walls, but roofless.
In the square of this little village was a great se-
note, or subterraneous well, which supplied all the
inhabitants with water. At a distance the square
seemed level and unbroken; but women walking
across it with cantaros orwater-jars suddenly disap¬
peared, and others seemed to rise out of the earth.
On a nearer approach, we found a great orifice or
opening in the rocky surface, like the mouth of a
cave. The descent was by irregular steps cut and
worn in the rocks. Over head was an immense
rocky roof, and at a distance of perhaps five hun¬
dred feet from the mouth was a large basin or res¬
ervoir of water. Directly over the water the roof
was perhaps sixty feet high; and there was an
opening above which threw down a strong body
of light. The water had no current, and its source
was a mystery. During the rainy season it rises a
little, but never falls below a certain point, and at
all times it is the only source of supply to the in¬
habitants. Women, with their water-jars, were
constantly ascending and descending ; swallows
were darting through the cave in every direction,
and the whole formed a wild, picturesque, and ro¬
mantic scene.
AN EXTRAORDINARY CAVE.
129
At this village we found waiting for us the major
domo of the hacienda of San Joaquin, on which
stand the ruins of Mayapan. Leaving the senote,
we mounted and followed him.
At the distance of half a mile he stopped near a
great cave that had lately been discovered, and
which, he said, had no end. Tying our horses to
the bushes, we turned off to visit it. The major
domo cut a path a short distance into the woods,
following which we came to a large hollow, over¬
grown with trees, and, descending, entered a great
cavern with a lofty roof, and gigantic passages
branching off in different directions, and running no
one knew whither. The cave had been discovered
by the major domo and some vaqueros while in pur¬
suit of robbers who had stolen a bull; and no rob¬
ber’s cave in romantic story could equal it in wild¬
ness. The major domo said lie had entered it with
ten men, and had passed four hours in exploration
without finding any end. The cave, its roof, base,
and passages, were an immense fossil formation.
Marine shells were conglomerated together in solid
masses, many of them perfect, showing a geological
structure which indicated that the whole country,
or, at least, that portion of it, had been once, and
probably at no very remote period, overflowed by
the sea.
We could have passed a day with much satisfac¬
tion in rambling through this cave, but, remaining
only a few minutes, and taking away some curious
Vol. I.—R
130
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
and interesting specimens, we remounted, and very
soon reached mounds of earth, fragments of sculp¬
tured stones, broken walls, and fallen buildings, in¬
dicating that we were once more treading upon the
sepulchre of an aboriginal city.
At eleven o’clock we came to a clearing, in which
was situated the hacienda of San Joaquin. The
building was a mere rancho, erected only for the
residence of a mayoral, a person inferior to a major
domo; but there was a fine clearing around it, and
the situation was wild and beautiful. In the cattle-
yard were noble trees. In the platform of the well
were sculptured stones taken from the ancient
buildings; it was shaded by the spreading branches
of a fine ramon or tropical oak, with a foliage of
vivid green; and crowning the top, and apparently
growing out of it, were the long, pale leaves of
the cocoanut.
The hacienda, or rather rancho, of San Joaquin,
on which the ruins of Mayapan lie scattered, is ten
leagues south from Merida. It forms part of the •
great hacienda of Xcanchakan, the property of
Don Jose Maria Meneses, the venerable cura of
San Cristoval, formerly provesor of the Church of
Yucatan. We had made the acquaintance of this
gentleman at the house of his friend Senor Rejon,
secretary of state, and he had sent instructions to
his major domo, the same who had met us at the
last village, to place at our command all the dispo¬
sable force of the hacienda.
RUINS OF MAYAPAN.
13]
The ruins of Mayapan cover a great plain, which
was at that time so overgrown that hardly any ob¬
ject was visible until we were close upon it, and the
undergrowth was so thick that it was difficult to
work our way through it. Our’s was the first visit
to examine these ruins. For ages they had been
unnoticed, almost unknown, and left to struggle with
rank tropical vegetation ; and the major domo, who
lived on the principal hacienda, and had not seen
them in twenty-three years, was more familiar with
them than any other person we could find. He
told us that within a circumference of three miles,
ruins were found, and that a strong wall once en¬
compassed the city, the remains of which might still
be traced through the woods.
At a short distance from the hacienda, but invisi¬
ble on account of the trees, rises the high mound
which we had seen at three leagues’ distance, from
the top of the church at Tekoh, and which is rep¬
resented in the following engraving. It is sixty feet
high, and one hundred feet square at the base ; and,
like the mounds at Palenque and Uxmal, it is an
artificial structure, built up solid from the plain.
Though seen from a great distance above the tops
of the trees, the whole field was so overgrown that
it was scarcely visible until we reached its foot;
and the mound itself, though retaining the symme¬
try of its original proportions, was also so over¬
grown that it appeared a mere wooded hill, but pe-
132
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
culiar in its regularity of shape. Four grand stair¬
cases, each twenty-five feet wide, ascended to an
esplanade within six feet of the top. This espla¬
nade was six feet in width, and on each side was a
smaller staircase leading to the top. These stair¬
cases are in a ruinous condition; the steps are al¬
most entirely gone, and we climbed up by means of
fallen stones and trees growing out of its sides. As
we ascended, we scared away a cow, for the wild
cattle roaming on these wooded wastes pasture on
its sides, and ascend to the top.
CURIOUS SCULPTURED REMAINS. 133
/
The summit was a plain stone platform, fifteen
feet square. It had no structure upon it, nor were
there vestiges of any. Probably it was the great
mound of sacrifice, on which the priests, in the sight
of the assembled people, cut out the hearts of hu¬
man victims. The view commanded from the top
was a great desolate plain, with here and there
another ruined mound rising above the trees, and
far in the distance could be discerned the towers
of the church at Tekoh.
Around the base of this mound, and throughout
the woods, wherever we moved, were strewed sculp¬
tured stones. Most of them were square, carved on
the face, and having a long stone tenon or stem at
the back; doubtless they had been fixed in the wall,
so as to form part of some ornament, or combina¬
tion of ornaments, in the facade, in all respects the
same as at Uxmal.
Besides these, there were other and more curious
remains. These were representations of human fig¬
ures, or of animals, with hideous features and expres¬
sions, in producing which the skill of the artist seems
to have been expended. The sculpture of these
figures was rude, the stones were timeworn, and
many were half buried in the earth. The following
engraving represents two of them. One is four, and
the other three feet high. The full length seems
intended to represent a warrior with a shield. The
arms are broken off, and to my mind they conveyed
a lively idea of the figures or idols which Bernal
12
134
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Dias met with on the coast, containing hideous faces
of demons. Probably, broken and half buried as
they lie, they were once objects of adoration and
worship, and now exist as mute and melancholy
memorials of ancient paganism.
At a short distance from the base of the mound
was an openipg in the earth, forming another of
those extraordinary caves before presented to the
reader. The cura, the major domo, and the In¬
dians called it a senote, and said that it had sup¬
plied the inhabitants of the old city with water.
The entrance was by a broken, yawning mouth,
steep, and requiring some care in the descent. At
the first resting-place, the mouth opened into an ex-
ANOTHER REMARKABLE CAVE. 135
lensive subterraneous chamber, with a high roof,
and passages branching off in every direction. In
different places were remains of fires and the bones
of animals, showing that it had at times been the
place of refuge or residence of men. In the en¬
trance of one of the passages we found a sculptured
idol, which excited us with the hope of discovering
some altar or sepulchre, or perhaps mummied fig¬
ures. With this hope, we sent the Indians to pro¬
cure torches; and while Mr. Catherwood was ma¬
king some sketches, Doctor Cabot and myself pass¬
ed an hour in exploring the recesses of the cave.
In many places the roof had fallen, and the passa¬
ges were choked up. We followed several of them
with much toil and disappointment, and at length
fell into one, low and narrow, along which it was
necessary to crawl on the hands and feet, and where,
from the flame and smoke of the torches, it was
desperately hot We at length came to a body of
water, which, on thrusting the hand into it, we
found to be incrusted with a thin coat of sulphate
of lime, that had formed on the top of the water,
but decomposed on being brought into the air.
Leaving the cave or senote, we continued ram¬
bling among the ruins. The mounds were all of the
same general character, and the buildings had en¬
tirely disappeared on all except one; but this was
different from any we had at that time seen, though
we afterward found others like it.
It stood on a ruined mound about thirty feet high.
136
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL,
What the shape of the mound had been it was diffi-
cult to make out, but the building was circular. The
following engraving represents this edifice, with the
DOUBLE ROW OF COLUMNS. 137
mound on which it stands. The exterior is of plain
stone, ten feet high to the top of the lower cornice,
and fourteen more to that of the upper one. The
door faces the west, and over it is a lintel of stone.
The outer wall is five feet thick; the door opens
into a circular passage three feet wide, and in the
centre is a cylindrical solid mass of stone, without
any doorway or opening of any kind. The whole
diameter of the building is twenty-five feet, so that,
deducting the double width of the wall and passage,
this centre mass must be nine feet in thickness.
The walls had four or five coats of stucco, and there
were remains of painting, in which red, yellow,
blue, and white were distinctly visible.
On the southwest side of the building, and on a
terrace projecting from the side of the mound, was
a double row of columns eight feet apart, of which
only eight remained, though probably, from the frag¬
ments around, there had been more, and, by clear¬
ing away the trees, more might have been found
still standing. In our hurried visit to Uxmal, we
had seen objects which we supposed might have
been intended for columns, but were not sure; and
though we afterward saw many, we considered
these the first decided columns we had seen. They
were two feet and a half in diameter, and consisted
of five round stones, eight or ten inches thick, laid
one upon another. They had no capitals, and
what particular connexion they had with the build¬
ing did not appear.
Vol. I.— S
138
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
So far, although the fragments of sculpture were
of the same general character as at Uxmal, we had
not found any edifice sufficiently entire to enable us
to identify that peculiar arch which we had found
in all the ruined buildings of this country; but
it was not wanting. At some distance from this
place, and on the other side of the hacienda, were
long ranges of mounds. These had once been
buildings, the tops of which had fallen, and almost
buried the structures. At the end was a doorway,
encumbered and half filled with rubbish, crawl¬
ing through which, we stood upright in apartments
exactly similar to those at Uxmal, with the arch
formed of stones overlapping, and a flat stone cover¬
ing the top. The apartments were ruder and nar¬
rower, but they were of precisely the same charac¬
ter with all the others we had seen.
The day was now nearly spent; with the heat
and labour we were exceedingly fatigued, and the
Indians insisted that we had seen all the principal
remains. The place was so overgrown with trees
that it would have taken a long time to clear them
away, and for the present at least it was out of the
question. Besides, the only result we could prom¬
ise ourselves was the bringing to light of fragments
and single pieces of buried sculpture. Of one thing,
however, we had no doubt: the ruins of this city
were of the same general character with those at
Uxmal, erected by the same builders, probably of
older date, and suffering more from the corrosion of
DERIVATION OP THE WORD YUCATAN. 139
the elements, or they had been visited more harshly
by the destroying hand of man.
Fortunately, at this place again we have a ray of
historic light. According to the best accounts, the
region of country now called Yucatan was known
to the natives, at the time of the Spanish invasion,
by the name of Maya, and before that time it had
never been known by any other. The name of
Yucatan was given to it by the Spaniards. It is
entirely arbitrary and accidental, and its origin is
not known with certainty. It is supposed by some
to be derived from the plant known in the islands by
the name of Yuca, and tal or thale, the heap of earth
in which this plant grows ; but more generally it is
derived from certain words supposed to have been
spoken by the natives in answer to a question asked
by the Spaniards on their first arrival. The sup¬
posed question is, “What is the name of this coun¬
try?” or, “ How is this country called?” and the con¬
jectured answer, “I do not understand those words,”
or, “I do not understand your words,” either of
which expressions, in the language of the natives,
has some resemblance in pronunciation to the word
Yucatan. But whatever was its origin, the natives
have never recognised the name, and to this day,
among themselves, they speak of their country only
under its ancient name of Maya. No native ever
calls himself a Yucateco, but always a Macegual, or
native of the land of Maya.
One language, called the Maya, extended through-
140
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
out the whole peninsula; and though the Spaniards
found the country parcelled into different govern¬
ments, under various names and having different ca¬
ciques, hostile to each other, at an earlier period of
its history the whole land of Maya was united un¬
der one head or supreme lord. This great chief or
king had for the seat of his monarchy a very popu¬
lous city called Mayapan, and had under him many
other lords and caciques, who were bound to pay
him tribute of cotton clothes, fowls, cacao, and gum
or resin for incense; to serve him in wars, and day
and night in the temples of the idols, at festivals
and ceremonies. These lords, too, had under them
cities and many vassals. Becoming proud and am¬
bitious, and unwilling to brook a superior, they re¬
belled against the power of the supreme lord, united
all their forces, and besieged and destroyed the city
of Mayapan. This destruction took place in the
year of our Lord 1420, about one hundred years,
or, according to Herrera, about seventy years, before
the arrival of the Spaniards in Yucatan; and, ac¬
cording to the computation of the ages of the In¬
dians, two hundred and seventy years from the
foundation of the city. The account of all the de¬
tails is confused and indistinct; but the existence
of a principal city called Mayapan, and its destruc¬
tion by war at about the time indicated, are men¬
tioned by every historian. This city was occupied
by the same race of people who inhabited the coun-
ancient city of mayapan.
141
try at the time of the conquest, and its site is iden¬
tified as that which has just been presented to the
reader, retaining, through all changes and in its ruins,
its ancient name of Mayapan.
142
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
CHAPTER VII.
An Accident.—Journey continued.—Hacienda of Xcanchakan.—
An Indian Dance.—Whipping an Indian.—Hacienda of Mucuy-
chd.—A Bath in a Senote.—Hacienda of San Jose.—Arrival at
Uxmal.—First Sight of the Ruins.—Changes since last Visit.—
House of the Dwarf.—House of the Nuns.—Casa del Goberna-
dor.—Residence at the Ruins.—Unpromising Appearances.—
How to make a Fire.—Instance of Perseverance.—Arrival of
Luggage on the Backs of Indians.—First Night at Uxmal.
The interest of our day at Mayapan came near
being marred by an unlucky accident. Just as we
were leaving the ruins a messenger came to inform
us that one of our pistols had shot an Indian.
These pistols had never shown any particular antip¬
athy to Indians, and had never shot one before ; but,
hurrying back to the hacienda, we found the poor
fellow with two of his fingers nearly shot off. The
ball had passed through his shirt, making two holes
in it, fortunately without hitting his body. The In¬
dians said that the pistol had gone off of itself while
they were only looking at it. We felt sure that this
was not exactly the case, knowing that pistols are
not free agents, and laid the blame upon them ; but
it was a great satisfaction that the accident was no
worse, and also that Doctor Cabot was at hand to
dress the wound. The Indian seemed to think less
of it than we did.
It was late when we left the hacienda. Our road
RolpTi
HACIENDA OF XCANCHAKAN. 143
was a mere bridle-path through a wilderness. At
some distance we crossed a broken range of stones,
rising on each side to a wall, which the major domo
said was the line of wall that encompassed the an¬
cient city.
It was nearly dark when we reached the stately
hacienda of Xcanchakan, one of the three finest in
Yucatan, and containing nearly seven hundred souls.
The plate opposite represents the front of this ha¬
cienda. The house is perhaps one of the best in
the country, and being within one day’s ride of the
capital, and accessible by calesa, it is a favourite res¬
idence of its venerable proprietor. The whole con¬
dition of the hacienda showed that it was often sub¬
ject to the master’s eye, and the character of that
master may be judged of from the fact that his ma¬
jor domo, the same who was attendant upon us, had
been with him twenty-six years.
I have given the reader some idea of a hacienda
in Yucatan, with its cattle-yard, its great tanks of
water and other accessories. All these were upon
a large and substantial scale, equal to any we had
seen ; and there was one little refinement in their ar¬
rangement, which, though not, perhaps, intended for
that purpose, could not fail to strike the eye of a
stranger. The passage to the well was across the
corridor, and, sitting quietly in the shade, the pro¬
prietor could see every day, passing and repassing,
all the women and girls belonging to the estate.
Our friend the cura of Tekoh was still with us,
144
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
and the Indians of the hacienda were within his cu¬
racy. Again immediately upon our arrival the bell
of the church was tolled to announce his arrival to
the sick, those who wished to confess, marry, or be
baptized. This over, it struck the solemn note of
the oracion , or vesper prayers. All rose, and, with
uncovered heads, stood silent till the last note died
away, all, according to the beautiful injunction of
the Catholic Church, breathing an inward prayer.
Then they bade each other a buemsnoches, each
kissed the cura’s hand, and then, with his petata, or
straw hat, in his hand, came to us, bowing respect¬
fully, and wishing each of us also the good night.
The cura still considered us on his hands, and, in
order to entertain us, requested the major domo to
get up a dance of the Indians. Very soon we heard
the sound of the violins and the Indian drum. This
latter consists of a hollow log about three feet long,
with a piece of parchment stretched over the end,
on which an Indian, holding it under his left arm,
beats with his right hand. It is the same instru¬
ment known to the inhabitants at the time of the
conquest by the name of tunhul and is the fa¬
vourite now. Going out into the back corridor, we
saw the musicians sitting at one end, before the door
of the chapel; on one side of the corridor were the
women, and on the other the men. For some time
there was no dancing, until, at length, at the in¬
stance of the cura, the major domo gave his direc¬
tions, and a young man stood up in the middle of
AN INDIAN DANCE.
145
the corridor. Another, with a pocket-handkerchief
in his hand having a knot tied in one end, walked
along the line of women, threw the handkerchief at
one, and then returned to his seat. This was con¬
sidered a challenge or invitation; but, with a proper
prudery, as if to show that she was not to be had for
the asking, she waited some minutes, then rose, and
slowly taking the shawl from her head, placed her¬
self opposite the young man, at a distance of about
ten feet, and commenced dancing. The dance was
called the toros, or the bull. The movements were
slow ; occasionally the performers crossed over and
changed places, and when the time ended the lady
walked deliberately off, which either brought the
young man to a stand-still, or he went on dancing,
as he liked. The manager or master of ceremo¬
nies, who was called the bastonero, again walked
along the line, and touched another lady in the same
way with the handkerchief. She again, after wait¬
ing a moment, removed her shawl and took her
place on the floor; and in this way the dance con¬
tinued, the dancing man being always the same, and
taking the partner provided for him. Afterward the
dance was changed to a Spanish one, in which, in¬
stead of castanets, the dancers from time to time
snapped their fingers. This was more lively, and
seemed to please them better than their own, but
throughout there was nothing national or charac¬
teristic.
Early in the morning we were roused by loud
Vol. I.—T 13
146
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
bursts of music in the church. The cura was giv¬
ing them the benefit of his accidental visit by an
early mass. After this we heard music of a differ¬
ent kind. It was the lash on the back of an Indian.
Looking out into the corridor, we saw the poor fel¬
low on his knees on the pavement, with his arms
clasped around the legs of another, Indian, so as to
present his back fair to the lash. At every blow he
rose on one knee, and sent forth a piercing cry. He
seemed struggling to restrain it, but it burst from him
in spite of all his efforts. His whole bearing show¬
ed the subdued character of the present Indians,
and with the last stripe the expression of his face
seemed that of thankfulness for not getting more.
Without uttering a word, he crept to the major
domo, took his hand, kissed it, and walked away.
No sense of degradation crossed his mind. Indeed,
so humbled is this once fierce people, that they have
a proverb of their own, “ Los Indios no oigan si no
por las nalgas”—“ The Indians cannot hear except
through their backs,” and the cura related to us a
fact which indicates an abasement of character per¬
haps never found in any other people. In a village
not far distant, the name of which I have lost, they
have a fiesta with a scenic representation called
Shtol. The scene is laid at the time of the con¬
quest. The Indians of the village gather within a
large place enclosed by poles, and are supposed to
be brought together by an invasion of the Spaniards.
An old man rises and exhorts them to defend their
hacienda of mucuyche. 147
country; if need be, to die for it. The Indians are
roused, but in the midst of his exhortations a stran¬
ger enters in the dress of a Spaniard and armed
with a musket. The sight of this stranger throws
them all into consternation; he fires the musket,
and they fall to the ground. He binds the chief,
carries him off captive, and the play is ended.
After breakfast the cura left us to return to his
village, and we set out to continue our journey to
Uxmal. Our luggage was sent off by Indians of the
hacienda, and the major domo accompanied us on
horseback. Our road was by a bridle path over the
same stony country, through thick woods. The
whole way it lay through the lands of the provisor,
all wild, waste, and desolate, and showing the fatal
effects of accumulation in the hands of large landed
proprietors. In two hours we saw rising before us
the gate of the hacienda of Mucuyche. To the as-
148
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tonishraent of the gaping Indians, the doctor, as he
wheeled his horse, shot a hawk that was hovering
over the pinnacle of the gateway, and we rode up
to the house.
I trust the reader has not forgotten this fine ha¬
cienda. It was the same to which, on our former
^visit, we had been borne on the shoulders of In¬
dians, and in which we had taken a bath in a
senote, never to be forgotten. We were once more
on the hands of our old friend Don Simon Peon.
The whole hacienda, horses, mules, and Indians,
were at our disposal. It was but ten o’clock, and
we intended to continue our journey to Uxmal, but
first we resolved upon another bath in the senote.
My first impression of the beauty of this fancy
bathing-place did not deceive me, and the first
glance satisfied me that I incurred no risk in intro¬
ducing to it a stranger. A light cloud of almost
imperceptible dust, ascribed to the dripping of the
waters of the rainy season, or perhaps made visible
by the rays of the midday sun, rested on the surface,
but underneath were the same crystal fluid and the
same clear bottom. Very soon we were in the wa¬
ter, and before we came out we resolved to postpone
our journey till the next day, for the sake of an
evening bath.
As the reader is now on ground which I trust he
has travelled before, I shall merely state that the
next day we rode on to the hacienda of San Jose,
where we stopped to make some preparations, and
ARRIVAL AT UXMAL.
149
Senote.
on the fifteenth, at eleven o’clock, we reached the
hacienda of Uxmal.
It stood in its suit of sombre gray, with cattle-
yard, large trees, and tanks, the same as when we
left it, but there were no friends of old to welcome
us: the Delmonico major domo had gone to To-
150
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
basco, and the other had been obliged to leave on
account of illness. The mayoral remembered us,
but we did not know him; and we determined to
pass on and take up our abode immediately in the
ruins. Stopping but a few minutes, to give direc¬
tions about the luggage, we mounted again, and in
ten minutes, emerging from the woods, came out
upon the open field in which, grand and lofty as
when we saw it before, stood the House of the
Dwarf; but the first glance showed us that a year
had made great changes. The sides of the lofty
structure, then bare and naked, were now covered
with high grass, bushes, and weeds, and on the top
were bushes and young trees twenty feet high.
The House of the Nuns was almost smothered, and
the whole field was covered with a rank growth of
grass and weeds, over which we could barely look
as we rode through. The foundations, terraces, and
tops of the buildings were overgrown, weeds and
vines were rioting and creeping on the facades, and
mounds, terraces, and ruins were a mass of destroying
verdure. A strong and vigorous nature was strug¬
gling for mastery over art, wrapping the city in its
suffocating embraces, and burying it from sight. It
seemed as if the grave was closing over a friend, and
we had arrived barely in time to take our farewell.
Amid this mass of desolation, grand and stately
as when we left it, stood the Casa del Gobernador,
but with all its terraces covered, and separated from
us by a mass of impenetrable verdure.
ESTABLISHING QUARTERS.
151
On the left of the field was an overgrown milpa,
along the edge of which a path led in front of this
building. Following this path, we turned the corner
of the terrace, and on the farthest side dismounted,
and tied our horses. The grass and weeds were
above our heads, and we could see nothing. The
mayoral broke a way through them, and we reached
the foot of the terrace. Working our wav over the
stones with much toil, we reached the top of the
highest terrace. Here, too, the grass and weeds
were of the same rank growth. We moved direct¬
ly to the wall at the east end, and entered the first
open door. Here the mayoral wished us to take
up our abode; but we knew the localities better
than he did, and, creeping along the front as close
to the wall as possible, cutting some of the bushes,
and tearing apart and trampling down others, we
reached the centre apartment. Here we stopped.
Swarms of bats, roused by our approach, fluttered
and flew through the long chamber, and passed out
at the doors.
The appearance of things was not very promis¬
ing for a place of residence. There were two salas,
each sixty feet long; that in front had three large
doors, opening upon the encumbered terrace, and
the other had no windows and but one door. In both
there was an extreme sensation of closeness and
dampness, with an unpleasant smell, and in the back
room was a large accumulation of dirt and rubbish.
Outside, high grass and weeds were growing into
152
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the very doorway. We could not move a step, and
all view was completely cut off. After the extreme
heat of the sun out of doors, we were in a profuse
perspiration from climbing up the terrace, and the
dank atmosphere induced a feeling of chilliness
which made us reflect seriously upon what we had
not sufficiently regarded before.
Throughout Yucatan “el campo,” or the country,
is considered unhealthy in the rainy season. We
had arrived in Yucatan counting upon the benefit of
the whole dry season, which generally begins in No¬
vember and lasts till May; but this year the rains had
continued longer than usual, and they were not yet
over. The proprietors of haciendas were still cau¬
tious about visiting them, and confined themselves
to the villages and towns. Among all the hacien¬
das, Uxmal had a reputation pre-eminent for its un¬
healthiness. Every person who had ever been at
work among the ruins had been obliged by sickness
to leave them. Mr. Catherwood had had sad expe¬
rience, and this unhealthiness was not confined to
strangers. The Indians suffered every season from
fevers; many of them were at that time ill, and the
major domo had been obliged to go away. All this
we had been advised of in Merida, and had been
urged to postpone our visit; but as this would have
interfered materially with our plan, and as we had
with us a “ medico” who could cure “ biscos,” we
determined to risk it. On the spot, however, per¬
ceiving the dampness of the apartments and the
HOW TO MAKE A FIRE.
153
rankness of vegetation, we felt that we had been im¬
prudent; but it was too late to draw back, even if we
had wished to do so. We agreed that we were bet¬
ter on this high terrace than at the hacienda, which
stood low, and had around it great tanks of water,
mantled with green, and wearing a very fever-and-
aguish aspect. We therefore set to work immedi¬
ately to make the best of our condition.
The mayoral left us to take the horses back to
the hacienda, and give directions about the luggage,
and we had only a little Indian boy to help us.
Him we employed to clear with his machete a
space before the principal doorway, and in order to
change as quickly as possible the damp, unwhole¬
some atmosphere within, we undertook to kindle a
fire ourselves. For this purpose we made a large
collection of leaves and brush, which we placed in
one corner of the back corridor, and, laying stones
at the bottom, built up a pile several feet high, and
set fire to it. The blaze crept through the pile,
burning the light combustible stuff, and went out.
We kindled it again, and the result was the same.
Several times we thought we had succeeded, but
the dampness of the place and of the materials baf¬
fled our efforts, and extinguished the flame. We
exhausted all our odd scraps of paper and other
availables, and were left with barely a spark of fire
to begin anew. The only combustible we had left
was gunpowder, of which we made what the boys
call a squib, by wetting a quantity of it, and this,
Vol. I.—U
154
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
done up in a ball, we ignited under the pile. It did
not answer fully, but gave us encouragement, and
we made a larger ball of the same, which we igni¬
ted with a slow match. It blew our pile to atoms,
and scattered the materials in all directions. Our
ingenuity had now been taxed to the uttermost, and
our resources were exhausted. In extremity we
called in the boy.
He had, in the mean time, been more successful;
for, continuing the work at which we had set him,
with characteristic indifference taking no notice of
our endeavours, he had cleared a space of several
yards around the door. This admitted a sunbeam,
which, like the presence of a good spirit, gladdened
and cheered all within its reach. We intimated to
him by signs that we wanted a fire, and, without
paying any respect to what we had done, he began
in his own way, with a scrap of cotton, which he
picked up from the ground, and, lighting it, blew it
gently in his folded hands till it was all ignited.
He then laid it on the floor, and, throwing aside all
the material we had been using, looked around care¬
fully, and gathered up some little sticks, not larger
than matches, which he laid against the ignited cot¬
ton, with one point on the ground and the other
touching the fire. Then kneeling down, he encir¬
cled the nascent fire with his two hands, and blew
gently on it, with his mouth so close as almost to
touch it. A slight smoke rose above the palms of
his hands, and in a few minutes he stopped blowing.
PRIMITIVE PHILOSOPHY.
155
Placing the little sticks carefully together, so that
all their points touched the fire, he went about pick¬
ing up others a little larger than the first, and laying
them in order one by one. With the circumference
of his hands a little extended, he again began blow¬
ing gently; the smoke rose a little stronger than be¬
fore. From time to time he gently changed the
position of the sticks, and resumed his blowing. At
length he stopped, but whether in despair or satis¬
fied with the result seemed doubtful. He had a
few little sticks with a languishing fire at one end,
which might be extinguished by dropping a few
tears over it. We had not only gone beyond this,
but had raised a large flame, which had afterward
died away. Still there was a steadiness, an assu¬
rance in his manner that seemed to say he knew
what he was about. At all events, we had nothing
to do but watch him. Making a collection of lar¬
ger sticks, and again arranging them in the same
way as before, taking care not to put them so close
together as to smother the fire, with a circumference
too large for the space of his hands, but of materials
so light as easily to be thrown into confusion, he
again commenced blowing, so gently as not to dis¬
turb a single stick, and yet to the full power that
the arrangement would bear. The wood seemed
to feel the influence of his cherishing care, and a
full body of smoke rose up to gladden us, and bring
tears into his eyes. With the same imperturbable
industry, unconscious of our admiration, he went
156
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
on again, having now got up to sticks as large as
the finger. These he coaxed along with many
tears, and at the next size he saved his own wind
and used his petata, or straw hat. A gentle blaze
rose in the whole centre of the pile; still he coax¬
ed it along, and by degrees brought on sticks as
large as his arm, which, by a gentle waving of
his hat, in a few minutes were all ignited. Our
uncertainty was at an end. The whole pile was
in a blaze, and all four of us went busily to work
gathering fuel. There was no necessity for dry
wood; we cut down bushes, and carried them in
green; all burned together; the flames extended,
and the heat became so great that we could not
approach to throw on more. In our satisfaction
with the result we did not stop to read the moral
of the lesson taught us by the Indian boy. The
flames were fast rectifying the damp, unwholesome
atmosphere, and inducing more warm and genial
sensations. Very soon, however, this bettering of
our house’s condition drove us out of doors. The
smoke rolled through the long apartment, and, curl¬
ing along the roof, passed into the front sala, where,
dividing, it rushed through the doors in three dense
bodies, and rolled up the front of the palace. We
sat down outside, and watched it as it rolled away.
While this was going on, the mayoral crawled
along the same path by which we had ascended,
and told us that the luggage had arrived. How it
could be got to us seemed a problem. The slight
HUMAN BEASTS OF BURDEN.
157
clearing on the upper terrace gave us a view of the
lower one, which was an unbroken mass of bushes
and weeds ten or twelve feet high. Perhaps half
an hour had elapsed, when we saw a single Indian
ascend the platform of the second terrace, with his
machete slowly working his way toward us. Very
soon the top of a long box was seen rising above
the same terrace, apparently tottering and falling
back, but rising again and coming on steadily, with
an Indian under it, visible from time to time through
the bushes. Toward the foot of the terrace on
which we were it disappeared, and after a few min¬
utes rose to the top. Holding on with both hands
to the strap across his forehead, with every nerve
strung, and the veins of his forehead swelled almost
to bursting, his face and his whole body dripping
with sweat, he laid his load at our feet. A long
line followed ; staggering, panting, and trembling,
they took the loads from their backs, and deposited
them at the door. They had carried these loads
three leagues, or nine miles, and we paid them
eighteen and three quarter cents, being at the rate
of a medio , or six and a quarter cents, per league.
We gave them a medio extra for bringing the things
up the terrace, and the poor fellows were thankful
and happy.
In the mean time the fire was still burning, and
the smoke rushing out. We set the Indians at
work on the terrace with their machetes, and as
the smoke rolled away we directed them to sweep
14
158
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
out the apartments. For brooms they had merely
to cut a handful of hushes, and to shovel out the
dirt they had their hands. This over, we had our
luggage carried in, set up our beds in the back sala,
and swung our hammocks in the front. At nightfall
the Indians left us, and we were again alone in the
palace of unknown kings.
We had reached the first point of our journey;
we were once more at the ruins of Uxmal. It was
nearly two years since we originally set out in
search of American ruins, and more than a year
since we were driven from this place. The fresh¬
ness and enthusiasm with which we had first come
upon the ruins of an American city had perhaps
gone, but our feelings were not blunted, and all the
regret which we had felt in being obliged to leave
was more than counterbalanced by the satisfaction
of returning.
It was in this spirit that, as evening came on, we
swung in our hammocks and puffed away all trou¬
bles. The bats, retiring to their nightly haunt,
seemed startled by the blaze of our fire. Owls and
other birds of darkness sent up their discordant cries
from the woods, and as the evening waned we found
ourselves debating warmly the great question of ex¬
citement at home, whether M‘Leod ought to be
hanged or not.
As a measure of precaution, and in order to have
the full benefit of a medical man’s company, we be¬
gan immediately upon a course of preventive treat-
ANNOYANCE FROM MOSCHETOES. 159
ment, by way of putting ourselves on the vantage
ground against fever. As we were all in perfect
health, Dr. Cabot thought such a course could not
hurt us. This over, we threw more wood upon the
pile and went to bed.
Up to this time our course had been before the
wind. Our journey from Merida had again been a
sort of triumphal procession. We had been passed
from hacienda to hacienda, till we fell into the hos¬
pitable hands of Don Simon Peon, and we were now
in absolute possession of the ruins of Uxmal. But
very soon we found that we had to encounter trou¬
bles from which neither Don Simon, nor the gov¬
ernment, nor recommendations to the hospitality of
citizens of the interior, could afford us protection.
Early in the evening a few straggling moschetoes
had given us notice of the existence of these free
and independent citizens of Yucatan; but while we
were swinging in our hammocks and the fire burn¬
ed brightly, they had not troubled us much. Our
heads, however, were hardly upon our pillows, be¬
fore the whole population seemed to know exactly
where they could have us, and, dividing into three
swarms, came upon us as if determined to lift us up
and eject us bodily from the premises. The flame
and volumes of smoke which had rolled through the
building, in ridding us of the damp, unwholesome
atmosphere, seemed only to have started these tor¬
ments from their cracks and crevices, and filled them
160
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
with thirst for vengeance or for blood. I spare the
reader farther details of our first night at Uxmal, but
we all agreed that another such would drive us for¬
ever from the ruins.
V
fc
PERPLEXITIES. 161
CHAPTER VIII.
Perplexities.—Household Wants.—Indian Mode of boiling Eggs.
—Clearings.—A valuable Addition.—Description of the Ruins.
—Casa del Gobernador.—Hieroglyphics.—Ornaments over the
Doorways. — Ground Plan.—Doorways.—Apartments.—Great
Thickness of the back Wall.—A Breach made in the Wall.—
Prints of a Red Hand.—Sculptured Beam of Hieroglyphics.—
Wooden Lintels.—Loss of Antiquities by the Burning of Mr.
Catherwood’s Panorama.—Terraces.—A curious Stone.—Cir¬
cular Mound.—Discovery of a Sculptured Monument.—Square
Stone Structure.—Sculptured Heads. — Staircase.—House of
the Turtles.
Morning brought with it other perplexities. We
had no servant, and wanted breakfast, and altogeth¬
er our prospects were not good. We did not expect
to find the hacienda so entirely destitute of persons
with whom we could communicate. The mayoral
was the only one who spoke a word of Spanish, and
he had the business of the hacienda to attend to.
He had received special orders from his master to
do everything in his power to serve us, but the pow¬
er of his master had limits. He could not make the
Indians, who knew only the Maya, speak Spanish.
Besides this, the power of the master was otherwise
restricted. In fact, except as regards certain obliga¬
tions which they owed, the Indians were their own
masters, and, what was worse for us, their own mis-
Vol. I.—X
162
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tresses, for one of our greatest wants was a wom¬
an to cook, make tortillas, and perform those nu¬
merous domestic offices without which no house¬
hold can go on well. The mayoral had given us no
hope of being able to procure one; but in the midst
of our anxieties, and while we were preparing break¬
fast for ourselves, we perceived him coming across
the terrace, followed by a train of Indians, and clos¬
ing the procession was a woman, at that time real¬
ly a welcome visiter. The mayoral said that the
evening before, on his return to the hacienda, he had
gone round to all the huts, and proposed to woman
after woman, promising liberal pay and good treat¬
ment, but they all refused until he came to this one,
and with her he had been obliged to stipulate that
she should not remain at the ruins in the night, but
should return home every evening. This was a
great drawback, as we wanted to breakfast early, but
we had no choice, and were glad to get her upon her
own terms.
She was taller than most of the Indian women,
and her complexion was somewhat darker; Her
dress fitted more closely to her body, and she had
more of it. Her character was unimpeached, her
bearing would have kept presumption at a distance,
and, as an additional safeguard, she had with her a
little grandson, named Jose, whose complexion indi¬
cated that the descending line of her house had no
antipathies to the white race. Her age might be a
little over fifty, and her name was Chaipa Chi.
BEGINNING OF OPERATIONS. 163
The preliminaries being settled, we immediately
installed her as chef de cuisine , without assistants,
and sent off the mayoral to direct the Indians in
some clearings which we wished made immediately.
The first essay of Chaipa Chi was in boiling eggs,
which, according to the custom of the country, she
boiled para beber, or to drink; that is, by breaking a
small hole in the shell, into which a stick is inserted
to mix together the white and yolk; the egg is to be
disposed of through this hole in the primitive way
which nature indicates to the new-born babe. This
did not suit us, and we wished the process of cook¬
ing to be continued a little longer, but Chaipa Chi
was impenetrable to hints or signs. We were obli¬
ged to stand over her, and, but for the name of the
thing, we might as well have cooked them ourselves.
This over, we gave up, and left our dinner to the
mercies of our chef.
Before we were in a condition to begin an exam¬
ination and exploration of the ruins, we had a se¬
rious business before us in making the necessary
clearings. These were not required for picturesque
effect; indeed, overgrown as the ruins were, they
addressed themselves more powerfully to the ima¬
gination than if the whole field and every stone lay
bare; but facilities of moving from place to place
were indispensable, and for this purpose we deter¬
mined first to clear the terrace of the Casa del Gober-
nador, and cut roads from min to ruin, until we had
a complete line of communication; and that we
164
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
might know exactly our whereabout, Mr. Cather-
wood took an observation, by which he found the
latitude of Uxmal to be 20° 27' 30" N.
Our Indians made a good beginning, and by the af¬
ternoon we had the upper terrace cleared. Toward
evening they all left us, including Chaipa Chi, and
at night, while the moon was glimmering mournfully
over the ruins, we had a stroll along the whole front
of the Casa del Gobernador.
We were in no hurry to retire, and when we did
so it was with some misgivings. Besides a little
general attention to what was going on out of doors,
the principal business of the day had been to pre¬
pare our moscheto-nets, and for this we grudged no
time, labour, or ingenuity; but our success was com¬
plete. Throughout the whole long apartment there
was a continued singing and whizzing, lower or
louder as the musicians came near or retired, furi¬
ous at being defrauded of their prey, but they could
not touch us. Our satisfaction went beyond that of
the mere prospect for the night, for we felt sure of
rest after labour, and of being able to maintain our
ground.
The next day we made a valuable addition to our
household. Among the Indians who came out to
work was a lad who spoke Spanish. He was the
puniest, lankest, and leanest of any we had seen on
the hacienda, and his single garment was the dirti¬
est. His name was Bernaldo. He was but fifteen,
and he was already experiencing the vicissitudes of
i
DESCRIPTION OF THE RUINS. 165
fortune. His education had been neglected; and
for confounding some technical distinctions in the
laws of property, he was banished from a hacienda
near Merida to the deserts of Uxmal. We were in
such straits for want of an interpreter, and, except
during the short visit of the mayoral, so entirely des¬
titute, that we overlooked entirely Bernaldo’s moral
weakness, withdrew him from the workmen, and led
him to the sala of the palace, where, in the course
of conveying some instructions to Chaipa Chi, he
showed such an interest in the subject that Doctor
Cabot immediately undertook to give him a lesson
in cookery. In his first essay he was so apt that
we forthwith inducted him as ruler over the three
stones that composed our kitchen fireplace, with all
the privileges and emoluments of sipping and tast¬
ing, and left Chaipa Chi to bestow all her energies
upon the business that her soul loved, the making
of tortillas.
Being now domesticated, I shall introduce the
reader without preface to the ruins of Uxmal. In
the account of my former visit I endeavoured to give
a brief description of these ruins. Hurried away,
however, without plans or drawings, it was impos¬
sible to present any definite idea of their character.
The plate opposite represents the plan of this an¬
cient city, as indicated by the remaining edifices.
The ranges were all taken with the compass, and
the distances measured, and the dimensions of the
buildings and their distances from each other can be
166
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ascertained by means of the scale at the foot of the
plate.
The first ruin which I shall present is that in
which we lived, called the Casa del Gobernador.
The engraving which forms the frontispiece of this
volume represents its front, with the three great ter¬
races on which it stands. This front is three hun¬
dred and twenty-two feet long. Large as the en¬
graving is, it can serve only to give some idea of the
general effect; the detail of ornament cannot be
shown.
The edifice is represented as it exists now, with¬
out any attempt at restoration, and the reader will
perceive that over two of the doorways the fafade
has fallen. Don Simon Peon told us that in the
year 1825 this fallen part was still in its place, and
the whole front almost entire. The fragments now
lie as they fell, forming, as appears in the engraving,
a great mass of mortar, rude and sculptured stones,
all imbedded together, which had never been dis¬
turbed until we dug into it for the purpose of disin¬
terring and bringing to light some of the fallen or¬
naments.
This building was constructed entirely of stone.
Up to the cornice, which runs round it the whole
length and on all four of its sides, the facade presents
a smooth surface; above is one solid mass of rich,
complicated, and elaborately sculptured ornaments,
forming a sort of arabesque.
The grandest ornament, which imparts a richness
THE CASA DEL GOBERNADOR. 167
to the whole facade, is over the centre doorway.
Around the head of the principal figure are rows of
characters, which, in our first hurried visit, we did
not notice as essentially different from the other in¬
comprehensible subjects sculptured on the facade;
but we now discovered that these characters were
hieroglyphics. We had ladders made, by means of
which Mr. Catherwood climbed up and made accu¬
rate drawings of them. They differ somewhat from
the hieroglyphics before presented, and are more
rich, elaborate, and complicated, but the general
character is the same. From their conspicuous po¬
sition, they no doubt contain some important mean¬
ing ; probably they were intended as a record of the
construction of the building, the time when and the
people by whom it was built.
The full drawing of this rich and curious orna¬
ment cannot be presented with any effect on the
scale adapted to these pages. All the other door¬
ways have over them striking, imposing, and even
elegant decorations, varying sometimes in the de¬
tails, but corresponding in general character and ef¬
fect with that represented in the accompanying en¬
gravings.
The first engraving represents the part immedi¬
ately over the doorway. It shows the remaining
portion of a figure seated on a kind of throne. This
throne was formerly supported by a rich ornament,
still forming part of similar designs over other door¬
ways in this building. The head-dress is lofty, and
168
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
from it proceed enormous plumes of feathers, divi¬
ding at the top, and falling symmetrically on each
side, until they touch the ornament on which the
feet of the statue rest. Each figure was perhaps the
portrait of some cacique, warrior, prophet, or priest,
distinguished in the history of this unknown people.
THE ELEPHANTS TRUNK.
171
The engraving opposite represents that part of the
ornament immediately above the preceding; it occu¬
pies the whole portion of the wall from the top of the
head-dress to the cornice along the top of the build¬
ing. This ornament or combination appears on all
parts of the edifice, and throughout the ruins is more
frequently seen than any other. In the engraving
the centre presents a long, flat, smooth surface.
This indicates a projecting ornament, which cannot
be exhibited in a front view ; but, as seen in profile,
consists of a stone projecting from the face of the
wall, as shown in the following cut; and the reader
must suppose this stone projecting in order clearly to
understand the character of the ornament last present¬
ed. It measures one foot seven inches in length from
the stem by which it is fixed in the wall to the end of
the curve, and resembles somewhat an elephant’s
172
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
trunk, which name has, perhaps not inaptly, been giv¬
en to it by Waldeck, though it is not probable that as
such the sculptor intended it, for the elephant was
unknown on the Continent of America. This pro¬
jecting stone appears with this combination all over
the facade and at the cornel's; and throughout all
the buildings it is met with, sometimes in a reversed
position, oftener than any other design in Uxmal.
It is a singular fact, that though entirely out of •
reach, the ends of nearly all of them have been
broken off; and among the many remains in every
part of the walls throughout the whole ruins, there are
but three that now exist entire. Perhaps they were
wantonly broken by the Spaniards; th ough at this day
the Indians believe these old buildings are haunted,
and that all the monefatos or ornaments are anima¬
ted, and walk at night. In the daytime, it is be¬
lieved, they can do no harm, and for ages the In¬
dians have been in the habit of breaking and dis¬
figuring them with the machete, believing that by so
doing they quiet their wandering spirits.
The combination of the last two engravings is
probably intended to represent a hideous human
face; the eyes and teeth appear in the first, and the
projecting stone is perhaps intended for the nose or
snout. It occupies a space in breadth equal to
about five feet of the wall. To present the whole
facade on the same scale would require an engraving
sixty-four times as long as this. The reader will
perceive how utterly unprofitable it would be to at-
CHARACTER OF THE MASONRY. 173
tempt a verbal description of such a facade, and the
lines in the engraving show that, as I remarked in
my former account, there is no tablet or single stone
representing separately and by itself an entire sub¬
ject, but every ornament or combination is made up
of separate stones, each of which had carved on it
part of the subject, and was then set in its place in
the wall. Each stone by itself is an unmeaning
fractional portion, but, placed by the side of others,
makes part of a whole, which without it would be
incomplete. Perhaps it may with propriety be
called a species of sculptured mosaic; and I have
no doubt that all these ornaments have a symbolical
meaning; that each stone is part of a history, alle¬
gory, or fable.
The rear elevation of the Casa del Gobemador is
a solid wall, without any doorways or openings of
any kind. Like the front, above the cornice it
was ornamented throughout its whole length with
sculptured stone. The subjects, however, were less
complicated, and the sculpture less gorgeous and
elaborate; and on this side, too, a part of the facade
has fallen.
The two ends are thirty-nine feet each. The
following engraving represents the southern end. It
has but one doorway, and of this, too, the sculptured
subjects were more simple.
The roof is flat, and had been covered with ce¬
ment ; but the whole is now overgrown with grass
and bushes.
174
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL
Such is the exterior of the Casa del Gobernador.
To go into any description of details would extend
these pages to an indefinite length. Its distinguish¬
ing features are, that it was long, low, and narrow;
below the cornice plain, and above ornamented with
sculpture all around. Mr. Catherwood made mi¬
nute architectural drawings of the whole, and has in
his possession the materials for erecting a building
exactly like it; and I would remark that, as on our
former expedition, he made all his drawings with
the camera lucida, for the purpose of obtaining the
PLAN OF CASA DEL GOBERNADOR. 175
utmost accuracy of proportion and detail. Besides
which, we had with us a Daguerreotype apparatus,
the best that could be procured in New-York, with
which, immediately on our arrival at Uxmal, Mr.
Catherwood began taking views; but the results
were not sufficiently perfect to suit his ideas. At
times the projecting cornices and ornaments threw
parts of the subject in shade, while others were in
broad sunshine; so that, while parts were brought
out well, other parts required pencil drawings to
supply their defects. They gave a general idea of
the character of the buildings, but would not do to
put into the hands of the engraver without copying
the views on paper, and introducing the defective
parts, which would require more labour than that of
making at once complete original drawings. He
therefore completed everything with his pencil and
camera lucida, while Doctor Cabot and myself took
up the Daguerreotype; and, in order to ensure the
utmost accuracy, the Daguerreotype views were
placed with the drawings in the hands of the en¬
gravers for their guidance.
The ground plan of the Casa del Gobernador is
represented in the engraving below. It has eleven
I f
B ojw gjf gcr io O' -so ' TOO jS oIWd
doorways in front and one at each end. The doors
are all gone, and the wooden lintels over them have
176
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
fallen. The interior is divided longitudinally by a
wall into two corridors, and these again, by cross
walls or partitions, into oblong rooms. Every pair
of these rooms, the front and back, communicate by
a doorway exactly opposite a corresponding door¬
way in front.
The principal apartments in the centre, with three
doorways opening upon the terrace, are sixty feet
long. The one in front is eleven feet six inches
wide, and the inner one thirteen feet. The former
is twenty-three feet high to the top of the arch, and
the other twenty-two feet. The latter has but one
door of entrance from the front room, and except
this it has no door or aperture of any kind, so that
at the ends it is dark and damp, as is the case with
all the inner rooms. In these two apartments we
took up our abode.
The walls are constructed of square, smooth
blocks of stone, and on each side of the doorway
are the remains of stone rings fixed in the walls with
shafts, which no doubt had some connexion with
the support of the doors. The floors were of ce¬
ment, in some places hard, but, by long exposure,
broken, and now crumbling under the feet
The ceiling forms a triangular arch, as at Palen-
que, without the keystone. The support is made
by stones overlapping, and bevilled so as to present
a smooth surface, and within about a foot of the
point of contact covered by a layer of flat stones.
Across the arch were beams of wood, the ends built
in the wall on each side, which had probably been
PRINTS OF A RED HAND.
177
used for the support of the arch while the building
was in progress.
For the rest, I refer to the plan, mentioning only
one circumstance. In working out the plan on the
spot, it was found that the back wall, throughout
its whole length of two hundred and seventy feet,
was nine feet thick, which was nearly equal to the
width of the front apartment. Such thickness was
not necessary for the support of the building, and,
supposing it might contain some hidden passages,
we determined to make a breach through the wall,
and to do this in the centre apartment.
1 must confess that I felt some repugnance to this
work of demolition, but one stone had already been
picked out by an Indian to serve for mashing maize
upon; and as this was likely to be done at any time
when another might be wanted, I got over my scru¬
ples.
Over the cavity left in the mortar by the removal
of the stone were two conspicuous marks, which
afterward stared us in the face in all the mined build¬
ings of the country. They were the prints of a
red hand with the thumb and fingers extended, not
drawn or painted, but stamped by the living hand,
the pressure of the palm upon the stone. He who
made it had stood before it alive as we did, and
pressed his hand, moistened with red paint, hard
against the stone. The seams and creases of the
palm were clear and distinct in the impression.
There was something lifelike about it that waked
178
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
exciting thoughts, and almost presented the images
of the departed inhabitants hovering about the build¬
ing. And there was one striking feature about these
hands; they were exceedingly small. Either of our
own spread over and completely hid them; and this
was interesting from the fact that we had ourselves
remarked, and heard remarked by others, the small¬
ness of the hands and feet as a striking feature in
the physical conformation of the Indians at the pres¬
ent day.
The stones with this red hand upon them were
the first that fell as we commenced our breach into
the wall. There were two crowbars on the haci¬
enda, and working nearly two days, the Indians
made a hole between six and seven feet deep, but
throughout the wall was solid, and consisted of large
stones imbedded in mortar, almost as hard as rock.
The reason of this immense back wall, where every¬
thing else had a certain degree of fitness and con¬
formity, we did not discover, and we had this huge
hole staring us reproachfully in the face during all
the remainder of our residence.
A few words more, and I have done with this
building. In the south end apartment, the fa9ade
of which has been presented, we found the sculp¬
tured beam of hieroglyphics which had so much in¬
terested us on our former visit. In some of the in¬
ner apartments the lintels were still in their places
over the doorways, and some were lying on the
floor sound and solid, which better condition was no
LOSS OF ANTIQUITIES BY FIRE. 179
doubt owing to their being more sheltered than those
over the outer doorway. This was the only sculp¬
tured beam in Uxmal, and at that time it was the
only piece of carved wood we had seen. We con¬
sidered it interesting, as indicating a degree of pro¬
ficiency in an art of which, in all our previous ex¬
plorations, we had not discovered any evidence, ex¬
cept, perhaps, at Ocosingo, where we had found a
beam, not carved, but which had evidently been re¬
duced to shape by sharp instruments of metal. This
time I determined not to let the precious beam es¬
cape me. It was ten feet long, one foot nine inches
broad, and ten inches thick, of Sapote wood, enor¬
mously heavy and unwieldy. To keep the sculp¬
tured side from being chafed and broken, I had it
covered with costal or hemp bagging, and stuffed
with dry grass to the thickness of six inches. It
left Uxmal on the shoulders of ten Indians, after
many vicissitudes reached this city uninjured, and
was deposited in Mr. Catherwood’s Panorama. I
had referred to it as being in the National Museum
at Washington, whither I intended to send it as
soon as a collection of large sculptured stones, which
I was obliged to leave behind, should arrive ; but on
the burning of that building, in the general confla¬
gration of Jerusalem and Thebes, this part of Ux¬
mal was consumed, and with it other beams after¬
ward discovered, much more curious and interest¬
ing ; as also the whole collection of vases, figures,
idols, and other relics gathered upon this journey.
VOL. I.—0
I
180
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
The collecting, packing, and transporting of these
things had given me more trouble and annoyance
than any other circumstance in our journey, and
their loss cannot be replaced; for, being first on the
ground, and having all at my choice, I of course se¬
lected only those objects which were most curious
and valuable; and if I were to go over the whole
ground again, I could not find others equal to them.
I had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing their
ashes exactly as the fire had left them. We seem¬
ed doomed to be in the midst of ruins; but in all our
explorations there was none so touching as this.
Next to the great building of the Casa del Gober-
nador, and hardly less extraordinary and imposing
in character, are the three great terraces which hold
it aloft, and give it its grandeur of position; all of
them artificial, and built up from the level of the
plain.
The lowest of these terraces is three feet high,
fifteen feet broad, and five hundred and seventy-five
feet long; the second is twenty feet high, two hun¬
dred and fifty feet wide, and five hundred and forty-
five feet in length; and the third, on which the build¬
ing stands, is nineteen feet high, thirty feet broad,
and three hundred and sixty feet in front. They were
all supported by substantial stone walls ; that of the
second terrace is still in a good state of preservation,
and at the corners the stones which support it are still
in their places, with their outer surfaces rounded, in¬
stead of presenting sharp angles.
A SINGULAR STONE.
181
The platform of this terrace is a noble terra plana,
five hundred and forty-five feet long and two hun¬
dred and fifty feet wide, and, from the remains still
visible upon it, once contained structures and orna¬
ments of various kinds, the character of which it is
now difficult to make out. On our first arrival the
whole was covered with a rank growth of bushes
and weeds ten or twelve feet high, on clearing which
away these remains were brought to light.
Along the south end there is an oblong structure
about three feet high, two hundred long, and fifteen
feet wide, at the foot of which there is a range ol
pedestals and fragments of columns about five feet
high and eighteen inches in diameter. There are
no remains of a roof or of any other structure con¬
nected with them.
Near the centre of the platform, at a distance of
eighty feet from the foot of the steps, is a square en¬
closure, consisting of two layers of stones, in which
stands, in an oblique position, as if falling, or, per¬
haps, as if an effort had been made to throw it down,
a large round stone, measuring eight feet above the
ground and five feet in diameter. This stone is stri¬
king for its uncouth and irregular proportions, and
wants conformity with the regularity and symmetry
of all around. From its conspicuous position, it
doubtless had some important use, and, in connex¬
ion with other monuments found at this place, in¬
duces the belief that it was connected with the cer¬
emonial rites of an ancient worship known to have
16
182
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
existed among all Eastern nations. The Indians
call this stone the Picote, or whipping-post.
At a distance of sixty feet in a right line beyond
this was a rude circular mound, about six feet high.
We had used it as a position from which to take a
Daguerreotype view of the front of the building, and,
at the instance of the Cura Carillo, who came to
pay us a visit, we determined to open it. It was a
mere mass of earth and stones; and, on digging down
to the depth of three or four feet, a sculptured mon¬
ument was discovered, which is represented in the
engraving that follows. It was found standing on
its feet, in the position represented in the engraving.
It. is carved out of a single block of stone, and meas¬
ures three feet two inches in length and two feet in
height. It seems intended to represent a double-head¬
ed cat or lynx, and is entire with the exception of one
foot, which is a little broken. The sculpture is rude.
It was too heavy to carry away. We had it raised to
the side of the mound for Mr. Catherwood to draw,
and probably it remains there still. The picote, or
great stone, before referred to, appears in the engra¬
ving in the distance.
Why this monument had been consigned to the
strange place in which it was discovered we were
at a loss to conjecture. This could never have
been its original destination. It had been formally
and deliberately buried. In my opinion, there is
but one way of accounting for it. It had been one
of the many idols worshipped by the people of Ux-
A SCULPTURED MONUMENT.
183
mal; and the probability is, that when the inhabi¬
tants abandoned the city they buried it, that it might
not be desecrated; or else the Spaniards, when they
drove out the inhabitants and depopulated the city,
in order to destroy all the reverential feelings of the
184 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Indians toward it, followed the example of Cortez
at Cholula, and threw down and buried the idols.
At a distance of 130 feet from this mound was a
square stone structure, six feet high and twenty feet
at the base, in which we made an excavation, and
discovered two sculptured heads, no doubt intended
as portraits.
From the centre of this great platform a grand
staircase 130 feet broad, which once contained 35
steps, rises to the third terrace, on which the build¬
ing stands; besides this there is no staircase con¬
nected with either of the three terraces, and the
only ascent to the platform of the second is by an
inclined plane 100 feet broad, at the south end of
the building, which makes it necessary for all ap¬
proaching from the north to pass the whole length
of the lower terrace, and, ascending by the inclined
plane, go back to reach the steps. The probability
is, that the labour of this was not regarded by the
ancient inhabitants, and that all visiters or residents
in the building passed in and out on the shoulders
of Indians in coches, as the rich do now.
There remains to be noticed one important, build¬
ing on the grand platform of the second terrace. It
stands at the northwest corner, and is represented
in the plate opposite. It is called the Casa de las
Tortugas, or the House of the Turtles, which name
was given to it by a neighbouring cura, from a bead
or row of turtles which goes round the cornice, in¬
dicated in the engraving.
HOUSE OF THE TURTLES.
185
This building is 94 feet in front and 34 feet
deep, and in size and ornaments contrasts striking¬
ly with the Casa del Gobernador. It wants the
rich and gorgeous decoration of the former, but is
distinguished for its justness and beauty of propor¬
tions, and its chasteness and simplicity of ornament.
Throughout there is nothing that borders on the
unintelligible or grotesque, nothing that can shock a
fastidious architectural taste; but, unhappily, it is
fast going to decay. On our first visit Mr. Cath-
erwood and myself climbed to the roof, and se¬
lected it as a good position from which to make a
panoramic sketch of the whole field of ruins. It
was then trembling and tottering, and within the
year the whole of the centre part had fallen in. In
front the centre of the wall is gone, and in the rear
the wooden lintel, pressed down and broken in two,
still supports the superincumbent mass, but it gave
us a nervous feeling to pass under it. The interior
is filled up with the ruins of the fallen roof.
This building, too, has the same peculiar feature,
want of convenient access. It has no communica¬
tion, at least by steps or any visible means, with the
Casa del Gobernador, nor were there any steps
leading to the terrace below. It stands isolated and
alone, seeming to mourn over its own desolate and
ruinous condition. With a few more returns of the
rainy season it will be a mass of ruins, and perhaps
on the whole continent of America there will be no
Vol. I.— A A
186
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
such monument of the purity and simplicity of abo¬
riginal art.
Such is a brief description of the Casa del Go-
beruador, with its three great terraces, and the build¬
ings and structures upon the grand platform of the
second. From the place which we had fixed upon
as our residence, and the constant necessity of as¬
cending and descending the terraces, it was with
these that we became the soonest familiar. The
reader will be able to form some idea of the subjects
that engaged our attention, and the strange spectacle
that we had constantly before our eyes.
JOURNEY TO JALACHO.
187
CHAPTER IX.
Journey to Jalacho.—Execrable Roads.—Sight of Ruins at Sen-
uisacal.—A motley Multitude.—Village of Becal.—The Cura.
—Breakfast.—Ruins.—Arrival at Jalacho.—A great Fair.—
F6te of Santiago.—Miracles.—Figure of St. James.—Bull-fight
and Bull-fighters.—Horse-market.—Scenes in the Plaza.—Gam¬
bling.—Primitive Circulating Medium.—A Memorial of Home.
A Ball.—Search for Ruins.—Hacienda of Sijoh.—Mounds of
Ruins.—Remarkable Stones.— A long Edifice.— Hacienda of
Tankuche.— More Ruins. — A plastered Wall covered with
Paintings.—Annoyance from Garrapatas.—Return to the Vil¬
lage.—Ball.—Fireworks.—Condition of the Indians.
Having made such advances in the clearing that
Mr. Catherwood had abundance of occupation, on
Thursday, the 18 th of November, I set out, under the
guidance of the mayoral, on an excursion to meet
Don Simon Peon at the fair of Jalacho, and visit
some ruins on another hacienda of his in that neigh¬
bourhood. We started at half past six, our course
being west by north. At ten minutes past seven we
crossed a serrania, or range of hills, about a hundred
and fifty feet high, and came down upon an exten¬
sive savanna of low, flat land, a mere cane-brake.
The road was the worst I had found in the country,
being simply a wet and very muddy path for mules
and horses to the fair. My horse sunk up to his
saddle-girths, and it was with great exertion that he
dragged himself through. Every moment I had fear
of his rolling over in the mud, and in some places,
I was strongly reminded of the males pasos in Cen-
188
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tral America. Occasionally the branches were bare¬
ly high enough to allow mules to pass, and then
I was obliged to dismount, and trudge through the
mud on foot. At eight o’clock we came to an open
savanna, and saw a high mound with ruins on the
top, bearing south, about a mile distant. It was call¬
ed, as the mayoral said, Senuisacal.. I was strongly
tempted to turn aside and examine it, but, on ac¬
count of the thickness of the cane-brake and the
mud, it would have been impossible to reach it, and
the mayoral said that it was entirely in ruins.
In half an hour we came into a clear and open
country, and at ten we entered the camino real for
Jalacho, a broad and open road, passable for cale-
sas. Up to this time we had not seen a single hab¬
itation or met a human being, and now the road
was literally thronged with people moving on to the
fair, with whose clean garments my mud-stained
clothes contrasted very unfavourably. There were
Indians, Mestizoes, and white people on horseback,
muleback, and on foot, men, women, and children,
many carrying on their backs things to sell, in pe-
taquillas, or long baskets of straw; whole families,
sometimes half a village moving in company; and I
fell in behind a woman perched on a loaded horse;
with a child in her arms, and a little fellow behind,
his legs stretched out nearly straight to span the
horse’s flanks, and both arms clasping her substan¬
tial body to keep himself from slipping off. We
passed parties sitting in the shade to rest or eat, and
ARRIVAL AT JALACHO.
189
families lying down by the roadside to sleep, with¬
out any fear of molestation from the rest.
At half past eleven we reached the village of Be-
cal, conspicuous, like all the others, for a large pla¬
za and church with two towers. In the suburbs the
mayoral and I interchanged sentiments about break¬
fast, and, after making a circle in the plaza, he struck
off direct for the house of the cura. I do not think
the cura could have been expecting me, but if so, he
could not have provided a better breakfast, or at
shorter notice. Besides the breakfast, the cura told
me of ruins on his hacienda which he had never vis¬
ited, but which he promised to have cleared away,
and be ready to show me on my return. Circum¬
stances occurred to prevent my returning by the same
road, but the cura, having had the ruins cleared away,
visited them himself, and I afterward heard that I had
lost something by not seeing them. I took leave of
him with the buoyancy of old times, breakfast se¬
cured, and a prospect of another ruined city.
In an hour I reached Jalacho, where I met Don
Simon and two of his brothers, with whom I was
not yet acquainted ; Don Lorenzo, who had a ha¬
cienda in that neighbourhood, and Don Alonzo, then
living in Campeachy, who was educated in New-
York, and spoke English remarkably well.
The village of Jalacho lies on the main road
from Merida to Campeachy, and, next to that of
Yzamal, its fair is the greatest in Yucatan, while in
190
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
some respects it is more curious. It is not attended
by large merchants with foreign goods, nor by the
better classes from Merida, but it is resorted to by
all the Indians from the haciendas and villages. It
is inferior in one respect: gambling is not carried
on upon so large a scale as at Yzamal.
The time was when all countries had their period¬
ical fairs; but the changed and improved condition
of the world has almost abolished this feature of an¬
cient times. Increased facilities of communication
with foreign countries and different parts of the
same country make opportunities for buying and
selling an every-day thing; and at this day, in gen¬
eral throughout Europe, for all articles of necessity,
and even of luxury, every man has, as it were, a fair
every day at his own door. But the countries in
America subject to the Spanish dominion have felt
less sensibly, perhaps, than any others in the world,
the onward impulse of the last two centuries, and
in them many usages and customs derived from Eu¬
rope, but there long since fallen into oblivion, are
still in full force. Among them is this of holding
fairs, of which, though several took place during the
time of my journey in Central America, I had no
opportunity of seeing any.
The fair of Jalacho was an observance of eight
days, but the first two or three were marked only
by the arrival of scattering parties, and the business
of securing places to live in and to display wares.
The great gathering or high change did not begin
A GREAT FAIR.
191
till Thursday, which was the day of my arrival, and
then it was computed that there were assembled in
the village ten thousand persons.
Of all this crowd the plaza was the grand point
of concentration. Along the houses fronting it was
a range of tables set out with looking-glasses in
frames of red paper, rings and necklaces, cotton, and
toys and trinkets for the Indians. On the opposite
side of the street, along the square of the church,
were rustic arbours, occupied by venders having
similar commodities spread before them. The pla¬
za was partitioned, and at regular intervals was a
merchant, whose shop was a rude stick fixed up¬
right in the ground, and having another crosswise at
the top, covered with leaves and twigs, thus forming
a sort of umbrella, to protect its sitting occupant
from the sun. These were the merchants of dulces
and other eatables. This part of the fair was con¬
stantly crowded, and perhaps nine tenths were In¬
dians from the pueblos and haciendas around. Don
Simon Peon told me that he had entered on his
books a hundred and fifty criados, or servants, who
had applied to him for money, and he did not know
how many more were present.
It may be supposed that the church was not un¬
interested in this great gathering. In fact, it was
the fete of Santiago, and among the Indians this
fiesta was identified with the fair. The doors of
the church were constantly open, the interior was
thronged with Indians, and a crowd continually
192
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
pressing to the altar. In the doorway was a large
table covered with candles and small figures of arms
and legs in wax, which the Indians purchased as
they entered at a medio apiece, for offerings to the
saint. Near the altar, on the left, sat an unshaved
ministro, with a table before him, on which was a
silver waiter, covered with medios, reales, and two
shilling pieces, showing to the backward what others
had done, and inviting them to do the same. The
candles purchased at the door had been duly bless¬
ed, and as the Indians went up with them, a strap¬
ping negro, with linen particularly dirty, received
and lighted them at one burning on the altar, whence
with his black hands he passed them on to a rusty
white assistant, who arranged them upon a table,
and, even before the backs of the offerers were turn¬
ed, puffed out the light, and took the candles to be
smoothed over, and resold at the door for another
medio each.
High above the heads of the crowd, catching the
eye on first entering the church, was the figure of
Santiago, or Saint James, on horseback, holy in the
eyes of all who saw it, and famed for its power of
working miracles, healing the sick, curing the fever
and ague, insuring to prospective parents a boy or
girl as desired, bringing back a lost cow or goat,
healing a cut of the machete, or relieving from any
other calamity incident to an Indian’s lot. The
fore feet of the horse were raised in the air, and the
saint wore a black cocked hat, with a broad gold
BULL-FIGHT AND BULL-FIGHTERS. 193
baud, a short mantle of scarlet velvet, having a broad
gold edging round the cape and skirts, green velvet
trousers, with a wide gold stripe down the sides,
and boots and spurs. All the time I stood there,
and every time I went into the church, men, wom¬
en, and children were pressing forward, struggling
with each other to kiss the foot of the saint. The
simple Indian, as the first act of devotion, led up
his whole family to do this act of obeisance. The
mother lifted her sucking child, and pressed its lips,
warm from her breast, against the foot of the bedi¬
zened statue.
In the afternoon commenced the first bull-fight.
The toreadores, or bull-fighters, all lived at the house
opposite ours, and from it the procession started.
It was headed by a wrinkled, squint-eyed, bandy¬
legged Indian, carrying under his arm the old In¬
dian drum, and dancing grotesquely to his own mu¬
sic ; then followed the band, and then the gallant
picadores, a cut-throat looking set of scoundrels,
who, imagining themselves the admiration, were the
contempt of the crowd.
The Plaza de Toros was on one side of the
square of the plaza, and, like that in the square of
the church of San Cristoval, was constructed of
poles and vines, upright, intwining and interlaced,
tottering and yielding under pressure, and yet hold¬
ing together firmly. In the centre was a pole, on
the top of which flourished the Mexican eagle, with
outspread wings, holding in his beak a scroll with
Vol. I. —B b 17
194
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the appropriate motto, “ Viva la Republiea de Yuca¬
tan,” and strings extended like radii to different
parts of the boxes, wrapped with cut and scolloped
papers fluttering in the wind. On one side of the
ring was a pole with a wooden beam, from which
hung, by strings fastened to the crown of an old
straw hat, two figures stuffed with straw, with gro¬
tesque masks and ludicrous dresses. One was very
narrow in the shoulders and very broad below, and
his trousers were buttoned behind.
The toros, fallen into disrepute in the capital, is
still the favourite and national amusement in the
pueblos. The animal tied to the post when we en¬
tered was from the hacienda of the senote, which
was famed for the ferocity of its bulls. The pica-
dores, too, were fiercer than those in the capital, and
the contests were more sanguinary and fatal. Sev¬
eral times the bulls were struck down, and two,
reeking with blood, were dragged off by the horns,
dead; and this was in the presence of women, and
greeted with their smiles and approbation : a dis¬
gusting and degrading spectacle, but as yet having
too strong a hold upon popular feeling to be easily
set aside. The entertainment was got up at the
expense of the village, and all who could find a
place had liberty to enter.
This over, there was an interval for business, and
particularly for visiting the horse-market, or rather a
particular section to which dealers sent their horses
to be exhibited. I was more interested in this than
HORSE-MARKET.-SCENE IN THE PLAZA. 195
any other branch of commerce carried on at the fair,
as I wished to purchase horses for our journey.
There were plenty of them, though, as in all other
sections of the country, but few fine ones. Prices
varied from ten dollars to two hundred, the value
depending, not upon bone, blood, or muscle, but upon
training and paces. The young hacienda horses,
with nothing but the trot, or trotones, as they were
called, were worth from ten dollars to twenty-five,
but as they excelled in pace or easiness of move¬
ment their value increased. No one pretends to
ride a trotting horse in Yucatan, for he who does
labours under the imputation of not being able to
purchase a pacer. The finest horses in the country
in appearance are those imported; but the Yucatan
horses, though small, are remarkably hardy, require
no care, and endure an extraordinary degree of fa¬
tigue.
Night came on, and the plaza was alive with peo¬
ple and brilliant with lights. On one side, opposite
the church, along the corridors of the houses and in
front of them, were rows of tables, with cards and
dice, which were very soon crowded with players,
whites ’and Mestizoes; but the great scene of at¬
traction was the gathering of Indians in the centre of
the plaza. It was the hour of supper, and the small
merchants had abundant custom for their eatables.
Turkeys which had stood tied by one leg all day,
inviting people to come and eat them, were now
ready, of which for a medio two men had a liberal
196
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
allowance ; and I remarked, what I had heard of, but
had not seen before, that grains of cacao circulated
among the Indians as money. Every merchant or
vender of eatables, the most of whom were women,
had on the table a pile of these grains, which they
were constantly counting and exchanging with the
Indians. There is no copper money in Yucatan,
nor any coin whatever under a medio, or six and a
quarter cents, and this deficiency is supplied by these
grains of cacao. The medio is divided into twenty
parts, generally of five grains each, but the number
is increased or decreased according to the quantity
of the article in the market, and its real value. As
the earnings of the Indians are small, and the arti¬
cles they purchase are the mere necessaries of life,
which are very cheap, these grains of cacao, or frac¬
tional parts of a medio, are the coin in most common
use among them. The currency has always a real
value, and is regulated by the quantity of cacao in
the market, and the only inconvenience, economi¬
cally speaking, that it has, is the loss of a certain
public wealth by the destruction of the cacao, as in
the case of bank notes. But these grains had an
interest independent of all questions of political
economy, for they indicate or illustrate a page in
the history of this unknown and mysterious people.
When the Spaniards first made their way into the
interior of Yucatan, they found no circulating me¬
dium, either of gold, or silver, or any other species
of metal, but only grains of cacao ; and it seemed a
A MEMORIAL OF HOME.
197
strange circumstance, that while the manners and
customs of the Indians have undergone an immense
change, while their cities have been destroyed, their
religion dishonoured, their princes swept away, and
their whole government modified by foreign laws,
no experiment has yet been made upon their cur¬
rency.
In the midst of this strange scene, there was a
stir at one end of the plaza, and an object presented
itself that at once turned my thoughts and feelings
homeward. It was a post-coach, from a Troy fac¬
tory, exactly like those seen on every road in our
country, but it had on the panel of the door “La
Diligencia Campechana.” It was one of the line
of diligences between Campeachy and Merida, and
just arrived from the former place. It came up on
a run, drawn by wild, uncombed horses, not yet
broken to the bit, and with their breasts galled and
raw from the pressure of the collar. It had nine
inside, and had an aspect so familiar that, as the
door opened, I expected to see acquaintances get
out; but all spoke a foreign tongue, and instead of
being welcomed to supper or bed by an officious
landlord and waiter, all inquired anxiously where
they could get something to eat and a place to
sleep in.-
Leaving them to do as well as they could, we
went to the baile or ball. In front of the quartel
was a rustic arbour, enclosed by a temporary rail¬
ing, with benches and chairs arranged around the
198
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
sides, and the centre cleared for dancing. Until I
saw them collected together, I did not suppose that
so many white persons were present at the fair, and,
like the men at the gambling-table, and the Indians
in the plaza, these seemed to forget that there was
any other party present than themselves. In this
obliviousness I sympathized, and slipping into an
easy arm-chair, from the time of my drag through
the mud in the morning I had not so quiet and com¬
fortable a moment, in which condition I remained
until awakened by Don Simon.
The next day was a repetition of the same
scenes. In the afternoon, at the bull-fight, I fell into
conversation with a gentleman who sat next to me,
and who gave me information of some antiquities in
Maxcanu, a village four leagues distant. That I
might take this place on my return to Uxmal, it was
advisable to visit the ruins on Don Simon’s hacienda
the next day. Don Simon could not go with me
until after the fair, and amid the great concourse of
Indians it was difficult to find one who could serve
as a guide.
It was not till eleven o’clock the next day that I
was able to set out, and I had as a guide a major
domo of another hacienda, who, being, as I imagin¬
ed, vexed at being obliged to leave the fiesta, and
determined to get me off his hands as soon as pos¬
sible, set out at a swinging trot. The sun was
scorching, the road broad, straight, and stony, and
without a particle of shade, but in forty minutes,
MOUNDS OF RUINS.
199
both considerably heated, we reached the hacienda
of Sijoh, two leagues distant
This hacienda belonged to a brother of Don Si¬
mon, then resident in Vera Cruz, and was under the
latter’s charge. Here my guide passed me over into
the hands of an Indian, and rode back as fast as he
could to the fair. The Indian mounted another
horse, and, continuing a short distance on the same
road through the lands of the hacienda, we turned
off to the right, and in five minutes saw in the
woods to our left, near the road, a high mound of
ruins of that distinctive character once so strange,
but now so familiar to me, proclaiming the exist¬
ence of another unknown, nameless, desolate, and
ruined city.
We continued on to another mound nearer than
the first, where we dismounted and tied our horses
to the bushes. This mound was a solid mass of
masonry, about thirty feet high, and nearly square.
The stones were large, one at the corner measuring
six feet in length by three in width, and the sides
were covered with thorns and briers. On the south
side was a range of steps still in good condition,
each fifteen inches high, and in general three feet
long. On the other sides the stones rose in a py¬
ramidal form, but without steps. On the top was a
stone building, with its wall as high as the cornice
standing. Above this the facade had fallen, but the
mass of stone and mortar which formed the roof re¬
mained, and within the apartment was precisely
200
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
like the interior of the buildings at Uxmal, having
the same distinctive arch. There were no remains
of sculpture, but the base of the mound was encum¬
bered with fallen stones, among which were some
about three feet long, dug out so as to form a sort of
trough, the same as we had seen at Uxmal, where
they were called pilas or fountains.
Leaving this, we returned through the woods to
the mound we had first seen. This was perhaps
sixty feet high, and was a mere mass of fallen stone.
Whatever it might have been, its features were en¬
tirely lost, and but for the structure I had just seen,
and the waste of ruins in other parts of the country,
it might have seemed doubtful whether it had ever
been formed according to any plan or rules of art
The mass of stone was so solid that no vegetation
could take root upon it; its sides were bare and
bleached, and the pieces, on being disturbed, slid
down with a metallic sound like the ringing of iron.
In climbing up I received a blow from a sliding stone,
which nearly carried me back to the bottom, for the
moment completely disabled me, and from which I
did not entirely recover until some time afterward.
From the top of this mound I saw two others of
nearly the same height, and, taking their direction
with the compass, I descended and directed my steps
toward them. The whole ground was covered with
trees and a thick undergrowth of brush and thom-
bushes. My Indian had gone to lead the horses
round to another road. I had no machete, and
REMARKABLE STONES.
201
though the mounds were not far distant, I was ex¬
cessively scratched and torn in getting to them.
They were all ruined, so that they barely preserved
their form. Passing between these, I saw beyond
three others, forming three angles of a patio or square;
and in this patio, rising above the thorn-bushes and
briers, were huge stones, which, on being first dis¬
covered, suddenly and unexpectedly, actually start¬
led me. At a distance they reminded me of the
monuments of Copan, but they were even more ex¬
traordinary and incomprehensible. They were un¬
couth in shape, and rough as they came from the
quarry. Four of them were flat; the largest was
fourteen feet high, and measured toward the top four
feet in width, and one and a half in thickness. The
top was broader than the bottom, and it stood in a
leaning posture, as if its foundation had been loosen¬
ed. The others were still more irregular in shape,
and it seemed as if the people who erected them had
just looked out for the largest stones they could lay
their hands on, tall or short, thick or thin, square or
round, without regard to anything except bulk.
They had no beauty or fitness of design or propor¬
tion, and there were no characters upon them. But
in that desolation and solitude they were strange and
striking, and, like unlettered headstones in a church¬
yard, seemed to mark the graves of unknown dead.
On one of the mounds, looking down upon this
patio, was a long building, with its front wall fallen,
and leaving the whole interior exposed to view. I
Vol. I.—C c
202
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
climbed up to it, but saw only the remains of the
same narrow corridor and arch, and on the wall
were prints of the red hand. The whole country
was so overgrown that it was impossible to form any
idea of what its extent had been, but one thing was
certain, a large city had once stood here, and what
its name was no man knew.
At this time my visit was merely intended as pre¬
liminary, for the purpose of judging whether there
were any subjects for Mr. Catherwood’s pencil, and it
was now about one o’clock. The heat was intense,
and sweating and covered with briers and burrs,
which stuck to every part of my clothes, I came out
into the open road, where my Indian was waiting
for me with the horses. We mounted immediately,
and continued on a gallop to the hacienda of Tan-
kuche, two leagues distant.
This hacienda was a favourite with Don Simon,
as he had created it out of the wilderness, and the
entire road from the village he had made himself.
It was a good logwood country, and here he had
erected machinery for extracting the dye. In gen¬
eral, it was the most busy place of all his haciendas,
but this day it seemed as if a desolating scourge had
swept over it. The huts of the Indians were clos¬
ed and locked up; no barebodied children were play¬
ing around them, and the large gate was locked.
We tied our horses by one of the panels, and, as¬
cending by a flight of stone steps, entered the lane
and walked up to the house. Every door was lock-
A DESERTED HACIENDA.
203
ed, and not a person in sight. Moving on to the
high stone structure forming the platform of the well,
I saw a little boy, dressed in a straw hat, dozing on
an old horse, which was creeping round with the
well-beam, drawing in broken buckets a slow stream
of water, for which no one came. At sight of me
he rose from the neck of his horse, and tried to stop
him, but the old animal seemed so used to going
round that he could not stop, and the little fellow
looked as if he expected to be going till some one
came to take him off. All had gone to the fiesta,
and were now swelling the great crowd I had left
in the village. It was an immense change from the
thronged fair to the solitude of this desolate hacien¬
da. I sat down under a large seybo tree overshad¬
owing the well, and ate a roll of bread and an or¬
ange, after which I strolled back to the gate, and, to
my surprise, found only one horse. My guide had
mounted his and returned to his hacienda. I walk¬
ed into the factory, returned to the well, and at¬
tempted speech with the boy, but the old horse
started forward and carried him away from me ; I
lay down on the platform of the well; the creaking
of the beam served as a sort of lullaby, and I had
made such progress that I was not very eager to be
interrupted, when an Indian lad arrived, who had
been hunted up by my missing guide, and directed
to show me the ruins. This fact, however, he
would not have been able to communicate, but, for¬
tunately, he was accompanied by an Indian who
204
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
spoke Spanish. The latter was an intelligent, mid¬
dle-aged man, of highly respectable appearance, but
Don Simon told me he was the wrnrst fellow on the
hacienda. He was desperately in love with a girl
who did not live on the estate, and he was in the
habit of running away to visit her, and of being
brought back with his arms tied behind him; as a
punishment for a late offence of this kind, he had
been prohibited from going to the fiesta. Through
him I had an understanding with my new guide,
and set out again.
In five minutes after leaving the hacienda, We
passed between two mounds of ruins, and, from time
to time having glimpses of other vestiges in the
woods, in twenty mixiutes we came to a mound
about thirty feet high, on the top of which was a
ruined building. Here we dismounted, tied our
horses, and ascended the mound. The whole of
the front wall had fallen, together with the front
half of the arch; the interior chamber was filled
with dirt and rubbish nearly up to the cornice, and
the arch of the back wall was the only part above
ground; but this, instead of being of smooth stones,
like all the others we had seen in Yucatan, was
plastered and covered with paintings, the colours of
which were still bright and fresh. The principal
colours were red, green, yellow, and blue, and at
first the lines and figures seemed so distinct, that I
thought I could make out the subjects. The apart¬
ment being filled up with dirt, I stood above the
ANNOYANCE FROM GARRAPATAS. 205
objects, and it was only by sitting, or rather ly i ng
down, that I could examine them. One subject at
first sight struck me as being a representation of the
mask found at Palenque. I was extremely desirous
to get this off entire, but found, by experiments upon
other parts of the plaster with the machete, that it
would be impossible to do so, and left it untouched.
In the interest of the work, I did not discover that
thousands of garrapatas were crawling over me.
These insects are the scourge of Yucatan, and al¬
together they were a more constant source of an¬
noyance and suffering than any we encountered in
the country. I had seen something of them in Cen¬
tral America, but at a different season, when the
hot sun had killed off the immensity of their num¬
bers, and those left had attained such a size that a
single one could easily be seen and picked off.
These, in colour, size, and numbers, were like grains
of sand. They disperse themselves all over the
body, get into the seams of the clothes, and, like the
insect known among us as the tick, bury themselves
in the flesh, causing an irritation that is almost in¬
tolerable. The only way to get rid of them effectu¬
ally is by changing all the clothes. In Uxmal we
had not been troubled with them, for they are said
to breed only in those woods where cattle pasture,
and the grounds about Uxmal had been used as a
milpa, or plantation of corn. It was the first time
I had ever had them upon me in such profusion,
and their presence disturbed most materially the
18
206
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
equanimity with which I examined the paintings.
In fact, I did not remain long on the ground.
It is particularly unfortunate that, while so many
apartments have remained free, this most curious
and interesting one has become filled up. It is
probable that the walls, as well as the arch, are plas¬
tered and painted. It would have cost a week’s la¬
bour to clear it out, and my impression was, that, in
consequence of the dirt having been piled up against
the walls for an unknown length of time, through a
long succession of rainy seasons, the colours were
so completely effaced that nothing would have been
discovered to compensate for the labour.
It was now nearly dark. My day’s work had
been a severe one. I was tired and covered with
garrapatas, but the next day was Sunday, the last
of the fiesta, and I determined on returning to the
village that night. There was a brilliant moonlight,
and, hurrying on, at eleven o’clock I saw, at the end
of a long straight road, the illuminated front of the
church of Jalacho. Very soon, amid the shining
lights and congregated thousands, I forgot desola¬
tions and ruins, and my sympathies once more mov¬
ed with the living. I passed by the tables of the
gamblers, worked my way through the plaza and
through a crowd of Indians, who fell back in defer¬
ence to the colour of my skin, and, unexpectedly to
my friends,presented myself at the bade. This time
I had no disposition to sleep. For the last night of
the fiesta the neighbouring villages had sent forth
♦
CONDITION OF THE INDIANS.
207
/
their all; the ball was larger and gayer of whites and
those in whose veins white blood ran, while outside,
leaning upon the railing, looking in, but not presu¬
ming to enter, were close files of Indians, and beyond,
in the plaza, was a dense mass of them—natives of
the land and lords of the soil, that strange people in
whose ruined cities I had just been wandering, sub¬
mitting quietly to the dominion of strangers, bound
down and trained to the most abject submission, and
looking up to the white man as a superior being.
Could these be the descendants of that fierce people
who had made such bloody resistance to the Span¬
ish conquerors ?
At eleven o’clock the ball broke up, and fireworks
were let off from the balustrade of the church.
These ended with the national piece of El Castillo,
and at twelve o’clock, when we went away, the
plaza was as full of Indians as at midday. At no
time since my arrival in the country had I been so
struck with the peculiar constitution of things in
Yucatan. Originally portioned out as slaves, the
Indians remain as servants. Veneration for mas¬
ters is the first lesson they learn, and these masters,
the descendants of the terrible conquerors, in cen¬
turies of uninterrupted peace have lost all the fierce¬
ness of their ancestors. Gentle, and averse to la¬
bour themselves, they impose no heavy burdens upon
the Indians, but understand and humour their ways,
and the two races move on harmoniously together,
with nothing to apprehend from each other, form-
208
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ing a simple, primitive, and almost patriarchal state
of society; and so strong is the sense of personal se¬
curity, that, notwithstanding the crowds of stran¬
gers, and although every day Don Simon had sat
with doors open and piles of money on the table,
so little apprehension was there of robbery, that we
slept without a door or window locked.
A GRAND PROCESSION.
209
CHAPTER X.
Sunday.—Mass.—A grand Procession.—Intoxicated Indians.—Set
out for Maxcanu.—A Caricoche.—Scenery.—Arrival at Maxca¬
nu.—Cave of Maxcanu.—Threading a Labyrinth.—An Alarm.—
An abrupt Termination.—Important Discovery.—Labyrinth not
subterraneous. — More Moun^. — Journey continued.—Grand
View.—Another Mound.—An Accident.—Village of Opoche-
que.—View from the Sierra.—More Ruins.—Return to Uxmal.
—Change of Quarters.—An Addition to the Household.—Beau¬
tiful Scene.
The next day was Sunday. The church was
thronged for grand mass ; candles were burned, and
offerings were made to the amount of many medios,
and at nine o’clock the bells tolled for the proces¬
sion, the crowning scene of the fiesta. The church
was emptied of its votaries, and the plaza was alive
with people hurrying to take a place in the proces¬
sion, or to see it pass. I climbed up into the Plaza
de Toros, and had a whole box to myself.
The space along the side of the bull-ring was
thronged; and first came a long procession of In¬
dians with lighted candles; then the ministro with
the large silver salver, and money upon it, present¬
ing it on either side to receive additional offerings.
As it passed, a woman walked up and put upon it
two reales, probably her all. Then came, borne on
a barrow above the heads of the crowd, the figure
Vol. I.—D n
210
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
which had attracted so much veneration in the
church, Santiago on horseback, with his scarlet and
embroidered mantle and green velvet pantaloons
bordered with gold. This was followed by the
cura, a fat, yellow-looking half-breed, with his two
dirty-faced assistants. Directly under me the pro¬
cession stopped, and the priests, turning toward the
figure of the saint, set up a chant. This over, the
figure moved on, and stopping from time to time,
continued to work its waf around the church, until
finally it was restored to its place on the altar. So
ended the fair of Jalacho and the fete of Santiago,
the second which I had seen since my arrival in the
country, and both exhibiting the powerful influence
of the ceremonials of the church over the minds of
the Indians. Throughout the state, this class of the
inhabitants pays annually a tax of twelve reales per
head for the support of the cura; and it was said
on the ground that the Indians at this fiesta had
paid eight hundred dollars for salves, five hundred
for aves, and six hundred for masses, which, if true,
was an enormous sum out of their small earnings.
But the fiesta was over, and almost immediately the
crowd was in motion, preparing to set out for home.
At three o’clock every street was lined with people,
some less and others more heavily laden than they
came, and some carrying home the respectable head
of a family in a state of brutal intoxication; and
here I particularly remarked, what I had frequently
observed before, that among all the intoxication of
A CARICOCHE.
211
the Indians, it was a rare thing to see a woman in
that state; it was really an interesting spectacle to
see these poor women, with their children around
them, supporting and conducting homeward their in¬
toxicated husbands.
At four o’clock I set off with Don Lorenzo Peon,
a brother of Don Simon, for Maxcanu. Our mode
of conveyance, much used in Yucatan, but new to
me, was called a caricoche. It was a long wagon,
on two large wheels, covered with cotton cloth as a
protection against the sun, and on the bottom was
stretched a broad mattress, on which two persons
could recline at full length. If they would sit up, it
was large enough for three or four. It was drawn
by one horse, with a driver riding as postillion, and
another horse followed to change. The road was
broad, even, and level. It was the camino real be¬
tween Merida and Campeachy, and would pass in
any country for a fair carriage-road. All along we
passed parties of Indians returning from the fair. In
an hour we came in sight of the sierra which trav¬
erses at that point the whole peninsula of Yucatan
from east to west. The sight of hills was cheering,
and with the reflection of the setting sun upon them,
they presented almost the first fine scenery I had
encountered in the country. In an hour and ten
minutes we reached Maxcanu, twelve miles distant,
being by far the greatest speed at which I ever trav¬
elled in Yucatan.
The hacienda of Don Lorenzo was in this neigh-
/
212
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
bourhood, and he had a large house in the village,
at which we stopped. My object in coining to this
place was to visit La Cueva de Maxcanu, or the
Cave of Maxcanu. In the evening, when notice
was given of my intention, half the village was ready
to join me, but in the morning my volunteers were
not forthcoming, and I was reduced to the men
procured for me by Don Lorenzo. From the time
consumed in getting the men together and procuring
torches, cord, &c., I did not get off till after nine
o’clock. Our direction was due east till we reached
the sierra, ascending which through a passage over¬
grown with woods, at eleven o’clock we arrived at
the mouth, or rather door, of the cueva, about a
league distant from the village.
I had before heard so much of caves, and had
been so often disappointed, that I did not expect
much from this ; but the first view satisfied me in
regard to the main point, viz., that it was not a nat¬
ural cave, and that, as had been represented to me,
it was hecha a mano, or made by hand.
La Cueva de Maxcanu, or the Cave of Maxcanu,
has in that region a marvellous and mystical repu¬
tation. It is called by the Indians Satun Sat, which
means in Spanish El Laberinto or El Perdedero, the
Labyrinth, or place in which one may be lost. Not¬
withstanding its wonderful reputation, and a name
which alone, in any other country, would induce a
thorough exploration, it is a singular fact, and ex¬
hibits more strikingly than anything I can mention
A LABYRINTH.
213
the indifference of the people of all classes to the an¬
tiquities of the country, that up to the time of my
arrival at the door, this Laberinto had never been
examined. My friend Don Lorenzo Peon would
give me every facility for exploring it except joining
me himself. Several persons had penetrated to some
distance with a string held outside, but had turned
back, and the universal belief was, that it contained
passages without number and without end.
Under these circumstances, I certainly felt some
degree of excitement as I stood in the doorway.
The very name called up those stupendous works
in Crete and on the shores of the Moeritic Lake
which are now almost discredited as fabulous.
My retinue consisted of eight men, who consid¬
ered themselves in my employ, besides three or four
supernumeraries, and all together formed a crowd
around the door. Except the mayoral of Uxmal, I
had never seen one of them before, and as I consid¬
ered it important to have a reliable man outside, 1
stationed him at the door with a ball of twine. I
tied one end round my left wrist, and told one of
the men to light a torch and follow me, but he re¬
fused absolutely, and all the rest, one after the oth¬
er, did the same. They were all ready enough to
hold the string; and I was curious to know, and
had a conference with them on the interesting point,
whether they expected any pay for their services in
standing out of doors. One expected pay for show¬
ing me the place, others for carrying water, another
214
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
for taking care of the horses, and so on, but I ter¬
minated the matter abruptly by declaring that I
should not pay one of them a medio; and, ordering
them all away from the door, which they were
smothering, and a little infected with one of their
apprehensions of starting some wild beast, which
might be making his lair in the recesses of the cave,
I entered with a candle in one hand and a pistol in
the other.
The entrance faces the west. The mouth was
filled up with rubbish, scrambling over which, I stood
in a narrow passage or gallery, constructed, like all
the apartments above ground, with smooth walls and
triangular arched ceiling. This passage was about
four feet wide, and seven feet high to the top of the
arch. It ran due east, and at the distance of six or
eight yards opened into another, or rather was stop¬
ped by another crossing it, and running north and
south. I took first that on the right hand, running
south. At the distance of a few yards, on the right
side of the wall, I found a door, filled up, and at the
distance of .thirty-five feet the passage ended, and a
door opened at right angles on the left into another
gallery running due east. Following this, at the
distance of thirteen feet I found another gallery on
the left, running north, and beyond it, at the end, still
another, also on the left, and running north, four
yards long, and then walled up, with only an open¬
ing in it about a foot square.
Turning back, I entered the gallery which I had
THREADING A LABYRINTH.
215
passed, and which ran north eight or ten yards; at
the end was a doorway on the right, opening into a
gallery that ran east. At the end of this were six
steps, each one foot high and two wide, leading to
another gallery, which ran north twelve yards. At
the end there came another gallery on the left, which
ran west ten yards, and at the end of this another
on the right, running north about sixty feet. This
passage was walled up at the north end, and at the
distance of five yards from this end another door¬
way led into a passage running to the east. At the
distance of four yards a gallery crossed this at right
angles, running north and south, forty-five feet long,
and walled up at both ends; and three or four yards
farther on another gallery crossed it, also running
north and south. This last was walled up at the
south, and on the north led to still another gallery,
which ran east, three yards long. This was stop¬
ped by another gallery crossing it, running to the
south three yards, when it was walled up, and to
the north eight yards, when it turned to the west.
In utter ignorance of the ground, I found myself
turning and doubling along these dark and narrow
passages, which seemed really to have no end, and
justly to entitle the place to its name of El Labe-
rinto.
I was not entirely free from the apprehension of
starting some wild animal, and moved slowly and
very cautiously. In the mean time, in turning the
corners, my twine would be entangled, and the In-
1
216 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
dians, moved by the probability of getting no pay,
entered to clear it, and by degrees all came up with
me in a body. I got a glimpse of their torches be¬
hind me just as I was turning into a new passage,
and at the moment I was startled by a noise which
sent me back rather quickly, and completely rout¬
ed them. It proceeded from a. rushing of bats,
and, having a sort of horror of these beastly birds,
this was an ugly place to meet them in, for the pas¬
sage was so low, and there was so little room for
a flight over head, that in walking upright there
was great danger of their striking the face. It was
necessary to move with the head bent down, and
protecting the lights from the flapping of their
wings. Nevertheless, every step was exciting, and
called up recollections of the Pyramids and tombs of
Egypt, and I could not but believe that these dark
and intricate passages would introduce me to some
large saloon, or perhaps some royal sepulchre. Belzo-
ni, and the tomb of Cephrenes and its alabaster sar¬
cophagus, were floating through my brain, when all at
once I found the passage choked up and effectually
stopped. The ceiling had fallen in, crushed by a
great mass of superincumbent earth, and farther
progress was utterly impossible.
I was not prepared for this abrupt termination.
The walls and ceiling were so solid and in such
good condition that the possibility of such a result
had not occurred to me. I was sure of going on to
the end and discovering something, and I was ar-
AN ABRUPT TERMINATION.
217
rested without knowing any better than when I en¬
tered to what point these passages led, or for what
purposes they had been constructed. My first im¬
pulse was, not to turn back, but to begin immedi¬
ately and dig a way through ; but the impossibility
of accomplishing anything in this way soon pre¬
sented itself. For the Indians to carry out the earth
on their backs through all these passages would be
a never-ending work; besides, I had no idea how
far the destruction extended, and, for the present at
least, nothing could be done.
In a spirit of utter disappointment, I pointed out
to the Indians the mass of earth that, as it were,
maliciously cut off all my hopes, and told them to
put an end to their lying stories about the Laberinto
and its having no end ; and in my disappointment I
began to feel most sensibly the excessive heat and
closeness of the place, which I had hardly perceived
before, and which now became almost insufferable
from the smoke of the torches and the Indians cho¬
king the narrow passage.
All that I could do, and that was very unsatisfac¬
tory, was to find out the plan of this subterraneous
structure. I had with me a pocket compass, and,
notwithstanding the heat and smoke, and the little
help that the Indians afforded me, under all annoy¬
ances, and with the sweat dropping on my memo¬
randum book, I measured back to the door.
I remained outside a few moments for fresh air,
and entered again to explore the passage which
Vol. I. —E e 19
218
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
branched off to the left of the door. I had just gone
far enough to have my hopes revived by the pros¬
pect of some satisfactory result, when again I found
the passage choked up by the falling in and burial
of the arch.
I measured and took the bearings of this too.
From the excessive heat and annoyance, this plan
may not be very correct, and therefore I do not pre¬
sent it. The description will enable the reader to
form some general idea of the character of the struc¬
ture.
In exploring that part to the left of the door, I
made an important discovery. In the walls of one
of the passages was a hole eight inches square, which
admitted light, and looking through it, I saw some
plump and dusky legs, which clearly did not belong
to the antiguos, and which I easily recognised as
those of my worthy attendants.
Having heard the place spoken of as a subterra¬
neous construction, and seeing, when I reached the
ground, a half-buried door with a mass of overgrown
earth above it, it had not occurred to me to think
otherwise; but on examining outside, I found that
what I had taken for an irregular natural formation,
like a hill-side, was a pyramidal mound of the same
general character with all the rest we had seen in
the country. Making the Indians clear away some
thorn-bushes, with the help of the branches of a
tree growing near I climbed up it. On the top were
the ruins of a building, the same as all the others.
A FIT OF ENTHUSIASM.
219
The door of El Laberiuto, instead of opening into
a liill-side, opened into this mound, and, as near as I
could judge from the ruins along the base, was ten
feet high, and the Laberinto, instead of being sub¬
terraneous, or, rather, under the surface of the earth
was in the body of this mound. Heretofore it had
been our impression that these mounds were solid
and compact masses of stone and earth, without any
chambers or structures of any kind, and the discov¬
ery of this gave rise to the exciting idea that all the
great mounds scattered over the country contained
secret, unknown, and hidden chambers, presenting
an immense field for exploration and discovery, and,
ruined as the buildings on their summits were, per¬
haps the only source left for acquiring knowledge of
the people by whom the cities were constructed.
I was really at a loss to know what to do. I
was almost tempted to abandon everything else, send
word to my companions, and not leave the spot till
I had pulled down the whole mound, and discover¬
ed every secret it contained ; but it was not a work
to be undertaken in a hurry, and I determined to
leave it for a future occasion. Unfortunately, in
the multiplicity of other occupations in distant re¬
gions of the country, I never had an opportunity of
returning to this mound. It remains with all its
mystery around it, worthy the enterprise of some fu¬
ture explorer, and I cannot but indulge the hope that
the time is not far distant when its mystery will be
removed and all that is hidden brought to light.
220
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
In the account which I had received of this Laby¬
rinth, no mention had been made of any ruins, and
probably, when on the ground, I should have heard
nothing of them, but from the top of this mound I
saw two others, both of which, with a good deal of
labour, I reached under the guidance of the Indians,
crossing a patch of beans and milpa. I ascended them
both. On the top of one was a building eighty or
a hundred feet long. The front wall had fallen, and
left exposed the inner part of the back wall, with
half the arch, as it were, supporting itself in the air.
The Indians then led me to a fourth mound, and
told me that there were others in the woods, but all
in the same ruinous condition; and, considering
the excessive heat and the desperate toil of clam¬
bering, I did not think it worth while to visit them.
I saw no sculptured stones, except those I have
before mentioned, dug out like troughs, and called
pilas, though the Indians persisted in saying that
there were such all over, but they did not know ex¬
actly where to find them.
At three o’clock I resumed my journey toward
Uxmal. For a short distance the road lay along the
ridge of the sierra, a mere bed of rock, on which the
horse’s hoofs clattered and rang at every step. Com¬
ing out upon the brow of the sierra, we had one of
those grand views which everywhere present them¬
selves from this mountain range; an immense wood¬
ed plain, in this place broken only by a small spot
like a square on a chess-board, the clearing of the
ANOTHER MOUND.
221
hacienda of Santa Cruz. We descended the sierra,
and at the foot of it struck the camino real.
About an hour before dark, and a league before
reaching the village of Opocheque, I saw on the
left, near the road, a high mound, with an edifice on
its top, which at that distance, as seen through the
trees, seemed almost entire. It stood in a corn-field.
I was not looking out for anything of the kind, and
but for the clearing made for the milpa, I could not
have seen it at all. I threw the bridle of my horse
to the major domo, and made for it, but it was not
very easy of access. The field, according to the
fashion of the country, was enclosed by a fence,
which consisted of all the brush and briers collected
on the clearing, six or eight feet high and as many
wide, affording a sufficient barrier against wild cattle.
In attempting to cross this, I broke through, sinking
almost to my neck in the middle, and was consid¬
erably tom by thorns before I got over into the
milpa.
The mound stood on one side of the milpa, iso¬
lated, and of the building upon it, the lower part, to
the cornice, was standing. Above the cornice the
outer wall had fallen, but the roof remained, and
within all was entire. There was no view from
the top; beyond the milpa all was forest, and what
lay buried in it I had no means of ascertaining.
The place was silent and desolate; there was no
one of whom I could ask any questions. I never
heard of these ruins till I saw them from the back
222
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
of my horse, and I could never learn by what name
they are called.
At half past six we reached the village of Opoche-
que. In the centre of the plaza was a large fount¬
ain, at which women were drawing water, and on
one side was a Mestizo family, with two men play¬
ing the guitar. We stopped for a cup of water, and
then, pushing on by a bright moonlight, at nine
o’clock reached the village of Moona, which the
reader of my former volumes may remember was
the first stage of our journey on leaving Uxmal for
home.
Early the next morning we resumed our course.
Immediately behind the village we crossed the sier¬
ra, the same broken and stony range, commanding
on both sides the same grand view of a boundless
wooded plain. In an hour we saw at a distance on
our left the high mound of ruins visible from the
House of the Dwarf, known under the Indian name
of Xcoch. About five miles before arriving at Ux¬
mal, I saw on the right another high mound. The
intervening space was covered with trees and thorn-
bushes, but I reached it without dismounting. On
the top were two buildings about eighteen feet each,
with the upper part of the outer walls fallen. Of
both, the inner part was entire.
At twelve o’clock I reached Uxmal. The extent
of my journey had been thirteen leagues, or thirty-
nine miles; for though I had varied my route in re¬
turning, I had not increased the distance, and I had
RETURN TO UXMAL.
223
seen seven different places of ruins, memorials of
cities which had been and had passed away, and
such memorials as no cities built by the Spaniards
in that country would present.
The ruins of Uxmal presented themselves to me
as a home, and I looked upon them with more in¬
terest than before. I had found the wrecks of cities
scattered more numerously than I expected, but they
were all so shattered that no voice of instruction
issued from them; here they still stood, tottering
and crumbling, but living memorials, more worthy
than ever of investigation and study, and as I then
thought, not knowing what others more distant, of
which we had heard, might prove, perhaps the only
existing vestiges that could transmit to posterity the
image of an American city.
As I approached, I saw on the terrace our beds,
with moscheto-nets fluttering in the wind, and
trunks and boxes all turned out of doors, having
very much the appearance of a forcible ejectment
or ouster for non-payment of rent; but on arriving
I found that my companions were moving. In the
t great sala, with its three doors, they had found them¬
selves too much exposed to the heavy dews and
night air, and they were about removing to a small¬
er apartment, being that next to the last on the south
wing, which had but one door, and could more ea¬
sily be kept dry by a fire. They were then engaged
in cleaning house, and at the moment of my arrival
I was called in to consult w hether the rooms should
224
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
undergo another sweeping. After some deliberation,
it was decided in the affirmative, and about two
bushels more of dirt were carried out, which dis¬
couraged us from carrying the process of cleaning
any farther.
During my absence an addition had been made
to our household in a servant forwarded from Mer¬
ida by the active kindness of the Dona Joaquina
Peon. He was a dark Mestizo named Albino,
short and thick, and so near being squint-eyed that
at the first glance I thought him a subject for Doc¬
tor Cabot to practise on. Bernaldo was still on
hand, as also Chaipa Chi, the former under the doc¬
tor’s instructions, as chef de cuisine, and Chaipa
still devoting all her energies to the business in
which she shone, the making of tortillas.
In the afternoon we were comfortably settled in
our new quarters. We continued the precaution
of kindling a fire in one corner, to drive away ma¬
laria, and at night we had a bonfire out of doors.
The grass and bushes which had been cut down on
the terrace, parched and dried by the hot sun, were
ready for the fire; the flames lighted up the facade $
of the great palace, and when they died away, the
full moon broke upon it, mellowing its rents and
fissures, and presenting a scene mournfully beau¬
tiful.
!
THE STORM EL NORTE.
225
CHAPTER XI.
Superintending Indians.—The Storm El Norte.—Arrival of Don
Simon.—Subterraneous Chambers.—Discovery of broken Pot¬
tery and a Terra Cotta Vase.—Great Number of these Cham¬
bers.—Their probable Uses.—Harvest of the Maize Crop.—
Practical Views.—System of Agriculture in Yucatan.—Planting
of Corn.—A primitive Threshing Machine.—News from Home.
—More Practice in Surgery.—A rude Bedstead.—A Leg Pa¬
tient.—An Arm Patient.—Increasing Sickness on the Hacien¬
da.—Death of an Indian Woman.—A Campo Santo.—Digging
a Grave.—An Indian Funeral.
The next day I resumed my occupation of super¬
intending the Indians. It was, perhaps, the hardest
labour I had in that country to look on and see
them work, and it was necessary to be with them
all the time; for if not watched, they would not
work at all.
The next day opened with a drizzling rain, the
beginning of the prevailing storm of the country,
called El Norte. This storm, we were told, rarely
occurred at this season, and the mayoral said that
after it was over, the regular dry season would cer¬
tainly set in. The thermometer fell to fifty-two,
and to our feelings the change was much for the
better. In fact, we had begun to feel a degree of
lassitude, the effect of the excessive heat, and this
change restored and reinvigorated us.
This day, too, with the beginning of the storm,
VOL. I.— F F
226
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Don Simon arrived from Jalacho, according to
promise, to pay us a visit. He was not in the habit
of visiting Uxmal at this season, and though less
fearful than other members of his family, he was
not without apprehensions on account of the health
of the place. In fact, he had suffered much himself
from an illness contracted there. At the hacienda
he found the mayoral, who had just returned with
me from Jalacho, ill with calentura or fever. This,
with the cold and rain of the Norther, did not tend
to restore his equanimity. We insisted on his be¬
coming our guest, but agreed to let him off at night
on account of the moschetoes. His visit was a for¬
tunate circumstance for us; his knowledge of local¬
ities, and his disposition to forward our views, gave
us great facilities in our exploration of the ruins, and
at the same time our presence and co-operation in¬
duced him to satisfy his own curiosity in regard to
some things which had not yet been examined.
Throughout the ruins circular holes were found
at different places in the ground, opening into cham¬
bers underneath, which had never been examined,
and the character of which was entirely unknown.
We had noticed them, at the time of our former
visit, on the platform of the great terrace; and though
this platform was now entirely overgrown, and many
of them were hidden from sight, in opening a path
to communicate with the hacienda we had laid
bare two. The mayoral had lately discovered an¬
other at some distance outside the wall, so perfect
SUBTERRANEOUS CHAMBERS.
227
at the mouth, and apparently so deep on sounding
it with a stone, that Don Simon wished to ex¬
plore it.
The next morning he came to the ruins with In¬
dians, ropes, and candles, and we began immediately
with one of those on the platform before the Casa
del Gobernador. The opening was a circular hole,
eighteen inches in diameter. The throat consisted
of five layers of stones, a yard deep, to a stratum of
solid rock. As it was all dark beneath, before de¬
scending, in order to guard against the effects of im¬
pure air, we let down a candle, which soon touch¬
ed bottom. The only way of descending was to
tie a rope around the body, and be lowered by the
Indians. In this way I was let down, and almost
before my head had passed through the hole my feet
touched the top of a heap of rubbish, high directly
under the hole, and falling off at the sides. Clam¬
bering down it, I found myself in a round chamber,
so filled with rubbish that I could not stand upright.
With a candle in my hand, I crawled all round on
my hands and knees. The chamber was in the
shape of a dome, and had been coated with plas¬
ter, most of which had fallen, and now encumbered
the ground. The depth could not be ascertained
without clearing out the interior. In groping about
I found pieces of broken pottery, and a vase of
terra cotta, about one foot in diameter, of good
workmanship, and having upon it a coat of enamel,
which, though not worn off had lost some of its
228
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
brightness. It had three feet, each about an inch
high, one of which is broken. In other respects it
was entire.
The discovery of this vase was encouraging.
Not one of these places had ever been explored.
Neither Don Simon nor any of the Indians knew
anything about them, and, entering them now for
the first time, we were excited by the hope that we
had discovered a rich mine of curious and interest¬
ing fabrics wrought by the inhabitants of this ruined
city. Besides this, we had already ascertained one
point in regard to which we were doubtful before.
This great terrace was not entirely artificial. The
substratum was of natural rock, and showed that
advantage had been taken of a natural elevation, so
far as it went, and by this means some portion of
the immense labour of constructing the terrace had
been saved.
On the same terrace, directly at the foot of the
steps, was another opening of the same kind, and,
on clearing around, we found near by a circular
stone about six inches in thickness, which fitted the
hole, and no doubt had served as a cover. This
hole was filled up with dirt to within two feet of the
mouth, and setting some Indians at work to clear it
out, we passed on in search of another.
Descending the terrace, and passing behind the
high and nameless mound which towers between
the Casa del Gobernador and Casa de Palomos, the
Indians cleared away some bushes, and brought us
/
AN EMPTY VAULT.
229
to another opening, but a few feet from the path we
had cut through, entirely hidden from view until the
clearing was made. The mouth was similar to that
of the first; the throat about a yard deep, and the
Indians lowered me down, without any obstruction,
to the bottom.
The Indians looked upon our entering these pla¬
ces as senseless and foolhardy, and, besides imagi¬
nary dangers, they talked of snakes, scorpions, and
hornets, the last of which, from the experience we
had had of them in different parts of the ruins, were
really objects of fear; for a swarm of them coming
upon a man in such a place, would almost murder
him before he could be hauled out.
It did not, however, require much time to explore
this vault. It was clear of rubbish, perfect and en¬
tire in all its parts, without any symptoms of decay,
and to all appearances, after the lapse of unknown
years, fit for the uses to which it was originally ap¬
plied. Like the one on the terrace, it was dome¬
shaped, and the sides fell in a little toward the bot¬
tom, like a well-made haystack. The height was
ten feet and six inches directly under the mouth,
and it was seventeen feet six inches in diameter.
The walls and ceiling were plastered, still in a good
state of preservation, and the floor was of hard mor¬
tar. Don Simon and Dr. Cabot were lowered down,
and we examined every part thoroughly.
Leaving this, we went on to a third, which was
20
230
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
exactly the same, except that it was a little smaller,
being only five yards in diameter.
The fourth was the one which had just been dis¬
covered, and which had excited the curiosity of the
mayoral. It was a few feet outside of a wall which,
as Don Simon said, might be traced through the
woods, broken and ruined, until it met and enclosed
within its circle the whole of the principal buildings.
The mouth was covered with cement, and in the
throat was a large stone filling it up, which the ma¬
yoral, on discovering it, had thrown in to prevent
horses or cattle from falling through. A rope was
passed under the stone, and it was hauled out. The
throat was smaller than any of the others, and hardly
large enough to pass the body of a man. In shape
and finish it was exactly the same as the others, with
perhaps a slight shade of difference in the dimen¬
sions. The smallness of this mouth was, to my
mind, strong proof that these subterraneous cham¬
bers had never been intended for any purposes which
required men to descend into them. I was really at
a loss how to get out. The Indians had no me¬
chanical help of any kind, but were obliged to stand
over the hole and hoist by dead pull, making, as I
had found before, a jerking, irregular movement
The throat was so small that there was no play for
the arms, to enable me to raise myself up by the
rope, and the stones around the mouth were inse¬
cure and tottering. I was obliged to trust to them,
and they involuntarily knocked my head against
GREAT NUMBER OF THESE CHAMBERS. 231
the stones, let down upon me a shower of dirt, and
gave me such a severe rasping that I had no dispo¬
sition at that time to descend another. In fact, they
too were tired out, and it was a business in which,
on our own account at least, it would not do to
overtask them.
We were extremely disappointed in not finding
any more vases or relics of any kind. We could
not account for the one found in the chamber under
the terrace, and were obliged to suppose that it had
been thrown in or got there by accident.
These subterraneous chambers are scattered over
the whole ground covered by the ruined city.
There was one in the cattle-yard before the ha¬
cienda, and the Indians were constantly discovering
them at greater distances. Dr. Cabot found them
continually in his hunting excursions, and once, in
breaking through bushes in search of a bird, fell into
one, and narrowly escaped a serious injury; indeed,
there were so many of them, and in places where
they were so little to be expected, that they made
rambling out of the cleared paths dangerous, and to
the last day of our visit we were constantly finding
new ones.
That they were constructed for some specific
purpose, had some definite object, and that that ob¬
ject was uniform, there was no doubt, but what it
was, in our ignorance of the habits of the people, it
was difficult to say. Don Simon thought that the
cement was not hard enough to hold water, and
232
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
*
hence that they were not intended as cisterns or
reservoirs, but for granaries or store-houses of maize,
which, from our earliest knowledge of the abori¬
gines down to the present day, has been the staff of
life to the inhabitants. In this opinion, however,
we did not concur, and from what we saw after¬
ward, believe that they were intended as cisterns,
and had furnished, in part at least, a supply of wa¬
ter to the people of the ruined city.
We returned to our apartments to dine, and in the
afternoon accompanied Don Simon to see the har¬
vest of the maize crop. The great field in front of
the Casa del Gobernador was planted with corn,
and on the way we learned a fact which may be
interesting to agriculturists in the neighbourhood
of those numerous cities throughout our country
which, being of premature growth, are destined to
become ruins. The debris of ruined cities fertil¬
ize and enrich land. Don Simon told us that the
ground about Uxmal was excellent for milpas or
corn-fields. He had never had a better crop of
maize than that of the last year; indeed, it was so
good that he had planted a part of the same land a
second time, which is a thing unprecedented under
their system of agriculture; and Don Simon had
another practical view of the value of these ruins,
which would have done for the meridian of our own
city. Pointing to the great buildings, he said that
if he had Uxmal on the banks of the Mississippi, it
would be an immense fortune, for there was stone
PRIMITIVE AGRICULTURE.
233
enough to pave every street in New-Orleans, with¬
out sending to the North for it, as it was necessary
to do; but, not to be outdone in sensible views of
things, we suggested that if he had it on the banks
of the Mississippi, easy of access, preserved from the
rank vegetation which is now hurrying it to destruc¬
tion, it would stand like Herculaneum and Pompeii,
a place of pilgrimage for the curious; and that it
would be a much better operation to put a fence
around it and charge for admission, than to sell the
stone for paving streets.
By this time we had reached the foot of the ter¬
race, and a few steps brought us into the corn-field.
The system of agriculture in Yucatan is rather
primitive. Besides hemp and sugar, which the In¬
dians seldom attempt to raise on their own account,
the principal products of the country are corn,
beans, and calabazas, like our pumpkins and squash¬
es, camotes, which are perhaps the parent of our
Carolina potatoes, and chili or pepper, of which last
an inordinate quantity is consumed, both by the In¬
dians and Spaniards. Indian corn, however, is the
great staple, and the cultivation of this probably dif¬
fers but little now from the system followed by the
Indians before the conquest. In the dry season,
generally in the months of January and February,
a place is selected in the woods, from which the
trees are cut down and burned. In May or June
the corn is planted. This is done by making little
holes in the ground with a pointed stick, putting in
Vol. I.— G G
234
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
a few grains of com and covering them over. Once
in the ground, it is left to take care of itself, and if
it will not grow, it is considered that the land is not
worth having. The corn has a fair start with the
weeds, and they keep pace amicably together. The
hoe, plough, and harrow are entirely unknown ; in¬
deed, in general neither of the last two could be
used, on account of the stony face of the country:
the machete is the only instrument employed.
The milpa around the ruins of Uxmal had been
more than usually neglected; the crop turned out
badly, but such as it was, the Indians from three of
Don Simon’s adjoining haciendas, according to their
obligation to the master, were engaged in getting it
in. They were distributed in different parts of the
field; and of those we came upon first, I counted
a small group of fifty-three. As we drew near, all
stopped working, approached Don Simon, bowed
respectfully to him, and then to us as his friends.
The corn had been gathered, and these men were
engaged in threshing it out. A space was cleared
of about a hundred feet square, and along the bor¬
der of it was a line of small hammocks hanging on
stakes fixed in the ground, in which the Indians
slept during the whole time of the harvest, each with
a little fire underneath to warm him in the cool
night air, and drive away the moschetoes.
Don Simon threw himself into one of the ham¬
mocks, and held out one of his legs, which was cover¬
ed with burrs and briers. These men were free and
A RUDE THRESHING MACHINE. 235
independent electors of the State of Yucatan; but
one of them took in his hand Don Simon’s foot,
picked off the burrs, pulled off the shoe, cleaned the
stocking, and, restoring the shoe, laid the foot back
carefully in the hammock, and then took up the
other. It was all done as a matter of course, and
no one bestowed a thought upon it except our¬
selves.
On one side of the clearing was a great pile or
small mountain of corn in the ear, ready to be
threshed, and near by was the threshing machine,
which certainly could not be considered an in¬
fringement of any Yankee patent right. It was a
rude scaffold about eighteen or twenty feet square,
made of four untrimmed upright posts for cor¬
ners, with poles lashed to them horizontally three
or four feet from the ground, and across these was a
layer of sticks, about an inch thick, side by side ;
the whole might have served as a rude model of the
first bedstead ever made.
The parallel sticks served as a threshing floor, on
which was spread a thick layer of corn. On each
side a rude ladder of two or three rounds rested
against the floor, and on each of these ladders stood
a nearly naked Indian, with a long pole in his hand,
beating the corn. The grains fell through, and at
each corner under the floor was a man with a brush
made of bushes, sweeping off the cobs. The shelled
corn was afterward taken up in baskets and car¬
ried to the hacienda. The whole process would
236
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
have surprised a Genesee farmer; but perhaps,where
labour was so little costly, it answered as well as
the best threshing machine that could be invented.
The next day we had another welcome visiter in
our fellow-passenger, Mr. Camerden, who was just
from Campeachy, where he had seen New-York
papers to the third of November. Knowing our
deep interest in the affairs of our country, and post¬
poning his own curiosity about the ruins, he hasten¬
ed to communicate to us the result of the city elec¬
tions, viz., a contest in the sixth ward and entire un¬
certainty which party was uppermost.
Unfortunately, Mr. Camerden, not being in very
good health at the time, was also infected with ap¬
prehensions about Uxmal, and as El Norte still con¬
tinued, the coldness and rain made him uneasy in a
place of such bad reputation. Having no ill feel¬
ings against him and no spare moscheto-net, we did
not ask him to remain at night, and he accompa¬
nied Hon Simon to the hacienda to sleep.
The next day Doctor Cabot had a professional
engagement at the hacienda. In both my expedi¬
tions into that region of country our medical de¬
partment was incomplete. On the former occasion
we had a medicine-chest, but no doctor, and this
time we had a doctor, but no medicine-chest. This
necessary appendage had been accidentally left on
board the ship, and did not come to our hands till
some time afterward. We had only a small stock
purchased in Merida, and on this account, as well
MORE PRACTICE IN SURGERY. 237
as because it interfered with his other pursuits, the
doctor had avoided entering into general practice.
He was willing to attend to cases that might be
cured by a single operation, but the principal dis¬
eases were fevers, which could not be cut out with
a knife. The day before, however, a young Indian
came to the ruins on an errand to Don Simon, who
had a leg swollen with varicose veins. He had a
mild expression, meek and submissive manners, and
was what Don Simon called, in speaking of his best
servants, muy docil, or very docile. He stood at
that time in an interesting position, being about to
be married. Don Simon had had him at Merida
six months, under the care of a physician, but with¬
out any good result, and the young man was taking
his chance for better or worse, almost with the cer¬
tainty of becoming in a few years disabled, and a
mass of corruption. Doctor Cabot undertook to
perform an operation, for which purpose it was ne¬
cessary to go to the hacienda; and, that we might
return with Mr. Camerden, we all went there to
breakfast.
Under the corridor was an old Indian leaning
against a pillar, with his arms folded across his
breast, and before him a row of little Indian girls,
all, too, with arms folded, to whom he was teaching
the formal part of the church service, giving out a
few words, which they all repeated after him. As
we entered the corridor, he came up to us, bowed,
and kissed our hands, and all the little girls did the
same.
238
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Don Simon had breakfast ready for us, but we
found some deficiencies. The haciendas of that
country never have any surplus furniture, being only
visited by the master once or twice a year, and then
only for a few days, when he brings with him what¬
ever he requires for his personal comfort. Uxmal
was like the rest, and at that moment it was worse
off, for we had stripped it of almost every movable to
enlarge our accommodations at the ruins. Our great¬
est difficulty was about seats. All contrived to be
provided for, however, except Don Simon, who
finally, as it was an extreme case, went into the
church and brought out the great confessional chair.
Breakfast over, the doctor’s patient was brought
forward. He was not consulted on the subject of
the operation, and had no wish of his own about it,
but did as his master ordered him. At the moment
of beginning, Doctor Cabot asked for a bed. He had
not thought of asking for it before, supposing it
would be ready at a moment’s notice ; but he might
almost as well have asked for a steamboat or a
locomotive engine. Who ever thought of wanting
a bed at Uxmal ? was the general feeling of the In¬
dians. They were all born in hammocks, and
expected to die in them, and who wanted a bed
when he could get a hammock ? A bed, however
(which means a bedstead), was indispensable, and
the Indians dispersed in search, returning, after a
long absence, with tidings that they had heard of
one on the hacienda, but it had been taken apart,
\
A LEG PATIENT.
239
and the pieces were in use for other purposes.
They were sent off again, and at length we received
notice that the bed was corning, and presently it
appeared advancing through the gate of the cattle-
yard in the shape of a bundle of poles on the shoul¬
der of an Indian. For purposes of immediate use,
they might as well have been on the tree that pro¬
duced them, but, after a while, they were put to¬
gether, and made a bedstead that would have aston¬
ished a city cabinet-maker.
In the mean time the patient was looking on,
perhaps with somewhat the feeling of a man super¬
intending the making of his own coffin. The dis¬
ease was in his right leg, which was almost as thick
as his body, covered with ulcers, and the distended
veins stood out like whipcords. Doctor Cabot con¬
sidered it necessary to cut two veins. The Indian
stood up, resting the whole weight of his body on
the diseased leg, so as to bring them out to the full¬
est, and supporting himself by leaning with his
hands on a bench. One vein was cut, the wound
bound up, and then the operation was performed on
the other by thrusting a stout pin into the flesh un¬
der the vein, and bringing it out on the other side,
then winding a thread round the protruding head
and point, and leaving the pin to cut its way through
the vein and fester out. The leg was then bound
tight, and the Indian laid upon the bed. During
the whole time not a muscle of his face moved, and,
except at the moment when the pin was thrust un-
240
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
der the vein, when his hand contracted on the
bench, it could not have been told that he was un¬
dergoing an operation of any kind.
This over, we set out on our return with Mr.
Camerden to the ruins, but had hardly left the gate
of the cattle-yard, when we met an Indian with his
arm in a sling, coming in search of Doctor Cabot
A death-warrant seemed written in his face. His
little wife, a girl about fourteen years old, soon to
become a mother, was trotting beside him, and his
case showed how, in those countries, human life is
the sport of accident and ignorance. A few days
before, by some awkwardness, he had given his left
arm a severe cut near the elbow with a machete
To stop the bleeding, his wife had tied one str ing
as tightly as possible around the w r rist, and another
in the hollow of the arm, and so it had remained
three days. The treatment had been pretty effect¬
ual in stopping the bleeding, and it had very nearly
stopped the circulation of his blood forever. The
hand was shrunken to nothing, and seemed wither¬
ed ; the part of the arm between the two ligatures
was swollen enormously, and the seat of the wound
was a mass of corruption. Doctor Cabot took off
the fastenings, and endeavoured to teach her to re¬
store the circulation by friction, or rubbing the arm
with the palm of the hand, but she had no more
idea of the circulation of the blood than of the
revolution of the planets.
The wound, on being probed, gave out a foul and
AN ARM PATIENT.
241
pestilential discharge, and, when that was cleared
away, out poured a stream of arterial blood. The
man had cut an arterial vein. Doctor Cabot had
no instruments with him with which to take it up,
and, grasping the arm with a strong pressure on the
vein, so as to stop the flow of blood, he transferred
the arm to me, fixing my fingers upon the vein, and
requesting me to hold it in that position while he
ran to the ruins for his instruments. This was by
no means pleasant. If I lost the right pressure, the
man might bleed to death; and, having no regular
diploma warranting people to die on my hands, not
willing to run the risk of any accident, and know¬
ing the imperturbable character of the Indians, I got
the arm transferred to one of them, with a warning
that the man’s life depended upon him. Doctor
Cabot was gone more than half an hour, and during
all that time, while the patient’s head was falling on
his shoulder with fainting fits, the Indian looked
directly in his face, and held up the arm with a fix¬
edness of attitude that would have served as a
model for a sculptor. I do not believe that, for a
single moment, the position of the arm varied a
hair’s breadth.
Doctor Cabot dressed the wound, and the Indian
was sent away, with an even chance, as the doctor
considered, for life or death. The next that we
heard of him, however, he was at work in the fields;
certainly, but for the accidental visit of Doctor Ca¬
bot, he would have been in his grave.
Vol. I. —H h 21
242
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
After this there were some delicate cases among
the women of the hacienda; and these multifarious
occupations consumed the whole of the morning,
which we had intended to devote to Mr. Camer-
den and the ruins. It was a cold and cheerless
day; the Norther was increasing in force, and he
saw malaria and sickness all around him. In the
afternoon he left us to return to New-York by the
same vessel which had brought us out. Unfortu¬
nately, he carried away with him the seeds of a
dangerous illness, from which he did not recover
in many months.
The next day Don Simon left us, and we were
again alone. Sickness was increasing on the haci¬
enda, and two days afterward we received notice
that Doctor Cabot’s leg patient was ill with fever,
and also that a woman had died that day of the
same disease, and was to be buried the next morn¬
ing. We ordered horses to be sent up to the ru¬
ins, and early in the morning Dr. Cabot and myself
rode to the hacienda, he to visit his patient, and I
to attend the funeral, in the expectation that such
an event, on a retired hacienda, without any priest
or religious ceremonies, would disclose some usage
or custom illustrative of the ancient Indian charac¬
ter. Leaving my horse in the cattle-yard, in com¬
pany with the mayoral I walked to the campo santo.
This was a clearing in the woods at a short dis¬
tance from the house, square, and enclosed by a
rude stone fence. It had been consecrated with
A CAMPO SANTO.
243
the ceremonies of the church, and was intended as
a burial-place for all who died on the estate; a rude
place, befitting the rude and simple people for whom
it was designed. When we entered we saw a
grave half dug, which had been abandoned on ac¬
count of the stones, and some Indians were then
occupied in digging another.
Only one part of the cemetery had been used as
a burial-place, and this was indicated by little wood¬
en crosses, one planted at the head of each grave.
In this part of the cemetery was a stone enclosure
about four feet high, and the same in diameter,
which was intended as a sort of charnel-house, and
was then filled with skulls and bones, whitening in
the sun. I moved to this place, and began exam¬
ining the skulls.
The Indians, in digging the grave, used a crow¬
bar and machete, and scooped out the loose earth
with their hands. As the work proceeded, I heard
the crowbar enter something with a cracking, tear¬
ing sound: it had passed through a human skull.
One of the Indians dug it out with his hands, and,
after they had all examined and commented upon it,
handed it to the mayoral, who gave it to me. They
all knew whose skull it was. It was that of a
woman who had been born and brought up, and
who had died among them, and whom they had
buried only the last dry season, but little more than
a year before. The skull was laid upon the pile,
and the Indians picked out the arms and legs, and
M
244 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
all the smaller bones. Below the ribs, from the
back downward, the flesh had not decayed, but dried
up and adhered to the bones, which, all hanging to¬
gether, they lifted out and laid upon the pile. All
this was done decently and with respect.
As I stood by the enclosure of bones, I took up
different skulls, and found that they were all known
and identified. The campo santo had been opened
but about five years, and every skull had once sat
upon the shoulders of an acquaintance.
The graves were all on one side, and on the
other no dead had been buried. I suggested to the
mayoral, that by beginning on the farther side, and
burying in order, every corpse would have time to
decay and become dust before its place was wanted
for another, which he seemed to think a good idea,
and communicated it to the Indians, who stopped
their work, looked at him and at me, and then went
on digging. I added, that in a few years the bones
of the friend they were about burying, and his
own, and those of all the rest of them, would be
pulled and handled like those on the pile, which,
also, he communicated to them, and with the same
effect. In the mean time I had overhauled the
skulls, and placed on the top two which I ascertain¬
ed to be those of full-blooded Indians, intending to
appropriate and carry them off at the first conve¬
nient opportunity.
The Indians worked as slowly as if each was dig¬
ging his own grave, and at length the husband of
DIGGING A GRAVE.
245
the deceased came out, apparently to hurry them.
He was bare-headed, had long black hair hanging
down over his eyes, and, dressed in a clean blue flan¬
nel shirt, lie seemed what he really was, one of the
most respectable men on the hacienda. Sitting-
down by the side of the grave, he took two sticks
which were there for that purpose, with one of which
he measured the length, and with the other the
breadth. This, to say the least of it, was cool, and
the expression of his face was of that stolid and un¬
bending kind, that no idea could be formed of his
feelings; but it was not too much to suppose that a
man in the early prime of life, who had fulfilled well
all the duties of his station, must feel some emotion
in measuring the grave of one who had been his
companion when the labours of the day were over,
and who was the mother of his children.
The grave was not large enough, and he took
his seat at the foot, and waited while the Indians
enlarged it, from time to time suggesting an improve¬
ment In the mean time Doctor Cabot arrived on
the ground with his gun, and one of the grave-dig¬
gers pointed out a flock of parrots flying over. They
were too far off to kill, but as the Indians were al¬
ways astonished at seeing a shot on the wing, and
all seemed anxious to have him shoot, he fired, and
knocked out some feathers. The Indians laughed,
watched the feathers as they fell into the graveyard,
and then resumed their work. At length the hus¬
band again took the sticks, measured the grave, and
246
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
finding all right, returned to the house. The In¬
dians picked up a rude barrow made of two long
poles with crosspieces, which had been thrown
down by the side of the last corpse it had carried,
and went off for the dead body. They were gone
so long that we thought they wished to wear out
our patience, and told the mayoral to go and hurry
them; but presently we heard a shuffling of feet,
and the sound of female voices, heralding a tumult¬
uous procession of women. On reaching the fence
of the cemetery they all stopped, and, seeing us, would
not come in, except one old Beelzebub, who climb¬
ed over, walked directly to the foot of the grave,
leaned down, and, looking into it, made some ex¬
clamation which set all the women outside laugh¬
ing. This so incensed the old woman that she
picked up a handful of stones, and began pelting
them right and left, at which they all scattered with
great confusion and laughter, and in the midst of
this, the corpse, attended by an irregular crowd of
men, women, and children, made its appearance.
The barrow was lifted over the fence and laid
down beside the grave. The body had no coffin,
but was wrapped from head to foot in a blue cotton
shawl with a yellow border. The head was un¬
covered, and the feet stuck out, and had on a pair
of leather shoes and white cotton stockings, prob¬
ably a present from her husband on his return from
some visit to Merida, which the poor woman had
never w'orn in life, and which he thought he was
doing her honour by placing in her grave.
AN INDIAN BURIAL.
247
The Indians passed ropes under the body; the
husband himself supported the head, and so it was
lowered into the grave. The figure was tall, and
the face was that of a woman about twenty-three
or twenty-four years old. The expression was pain¬
ful, indicating that in the final struggle the spirit had
been reluctant to leave its mortal tenement. There
was but one present who shed tears, and that was
the old mother of the deceased, who doubtless had
expected this daughter to lay her own head in the
grave. She held by the hand a bright-eyed girl,
who looked on with wonder, happily unconscious
that her best friend on earth was to be laid under
the sod. The shawl was opened, and showed a
white cotton dress under it; the arms, which were
folded across the breast for the convenience of car¬
rying the body, were laid down by the sides, and
the shawl was again wrapped round. The hus¬
band himself arranged the head, placed under it a
cotton cloth for a pillow, and composed it for its fi¬
nal rest as carefully as if a pebble or a stone could
hurt it. He brushed a handful of earth over the
face; the Indians filled up the grave, and all went
away. No romance hangs over such a burial scene,
but it was not unnatural to follow in imagination
the widowed Indian to his desolate hut.
We had been disappointed in not seeing any rel¬
ic of Indian customs, and, as it was now eleven
o’clock and we had not breakfasted, we did not
consider ourselves particularly indemnified for our
trouble.
248
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
CHAPTER XII.
Means by which the City was supplied with Water.—Aguadas.—
A delightful Bathing-place. — Manner of Living at the Ruins.
—How to roast a Pig.—Nameless Mound.—Excavations made
in it.—Great Exertions.—A bitter Disappointment.—An Attack
of Fever.—Visit from the Cura of Ticul.—Departure for Ticul.
—A painful Journey.—Arrival at the Convent.—Arrival of Dr.
Cabot, ill with Fever.—Gloomy Prospects.—A simple Remedy
for Fever.— Aspect of Ticul. — The Church.—Funeral Urn. —
Monument and Inscription.—Convent.—Character of the Cura
Carillo.—The Date of the Construction of the Convent un¬
known. — Probably built with the Materials furnished by the
Ruins of former Cities.—Archives of the Convent.
In the account of my former visit to the ruins of
Uxmal, I mentioned the fact that this city was en¬
tirely destitute of apparent means for obtaining wa¬
ter. Within the whole circumference there is no
well, stream, or fountain, and nothing which bears
the appearance of having been used for supplying
or obtaining water, except the subterraneous cham¬
bers before referred to ; which, supposing them to
have been intended for that purpose, would probably
not have been sufficient, however numerous, to sup¬
ply the wants of so large a population.
All the water required for our own use we were
obliged to procure from the hacienda. We felt the
inconvenience of this during tire whole of our resi¬
dence at the ruins, and very often, in spite of all
our care to keep a supply on hand, we came in, af-
A G U A D A S,
249
ter hard work in the sun, and, parched with thirst,
were obliged to wait till we could send an Indian
to the hacienda, a distance, going and returning, of
three miles.
Very soon after our arrival our attention and in¬
quiries were directed particularly to this subject,
and we were not long in satisfying ourselves that
the principal supply had been drawn from aguadas,
or ponds, in the neighbourhood. These aguadas
are now neglected and overgrown, and perhaps, to a
certain extent, are the cause of the unhealthiness of
Uxmal. The principal of them we saw first from
the top of the House of the Dwarf, bearing west, and
perhaps a mile and a half distant. We visited it
Vol. L—I I
250
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
under the guidance of the mayoral, with some In¬
dians to clear the way. The whole intervening
space was overgrown with woods, the ground was
low and muddy, and, as the rains still continued, the
aguada was at that time a fine sheet of water. It
was completely imbosomed among trees, still and
desolate, with tracks of deer on its banks; a few
ducks were swimming on its surface, and a king¬
fisher was sitting on the bough of an overhanging
tree, watching for his prey. The mayoral told us
that this aguada was connected with another more
to the south, and that they continued, one after the
other, to a great distance; to use his own expres¬
sion, which, however, I did not understand literally,
there were a hundred of them.
The general opinion with regard to these agua-
das is the same with that expressed by the cura of
Tekoh respecting that near Mayapan ; viz., that
they were “hechas a mano,” artificial formations or
excavations made by the ancient inhabitants as res¬
ervoirs for holding water. The mayoral told us that
in the dry season, when the water was low, the re¬
mains of stone embankments were still visible in
several places. As yet we were incredulous as to
their being at all artificial, but we had no difficulty
in believing that they had furnished the inhabitants
of Uxmal with water. The distance, from what
will be seen hereafter, in that dry and destitute coun¬
try amounts to but little.
A DELIGHTFUL BATHING-PLACE. 251
At the time of our first visit to it, however, this
aguada had in our eyes a more direct and personal
interest. From the difficulty of procuring water at
the ruins, we were obliged to economize in the use of
it, while, from the excessive heat and toil of working
among the ruins, covered with dust and scratched
with briers, there was nothing we longed for so much
as the refreshment of a bath, and it was no unimpor¬
tant part of our business at the aguada to examine
whether it would answer as a bathing-place. The
result was more satisfactory than we expected. The
place was actually inviting. We selected a little cove
shaded by a large tree growing almost out of the
water, had a convenient space cleared around it, a
good path cut all the way through the woods to the
terrace of the Casa del Gobernador, and on the first
of December we consecrated it by our first bath.
The mayoral, shrunken and shattered by fever and
ague, stood by protesting against it, and warning us
of the consequences ; but we had attained the only
thing necessary for our comfort at Uxmal, and in
the height of our satisfaction had no apprehensions
for the result.
Up to this time our manner of living at the ruins
had been very uniform, and our means abundant.
All that was on the hacienda belonging to the mas¬
ter was ours, as were also the services of the In¬
dians, so far as he had a right to command them.
The property of the master consisted of cattle, hor¬
ses, mules, and corn, of which only the last could be
252
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
counted as provisions. Some of the Indians had a
few fowls, pigs, and turkeys of their own, which
they were in general willing to sell, and every morn¬
ing those who came out to work brought with them
water, fowls, eggs, lard, green beans, and milk. Oc¬
casionally we had a haunch of venison, and Doctor
Cabot added to our larder several kinds of ducks,
wild turkeys, chachalachas, quails, pigeons, doves,
parrots, jays, and other smaller birds. Besides these,
we received from time to time a present from the
Doha Joaquina or Don Simon, and altogether our
living was better than we had ever known in ex¬
ploring ruins. Latterly, however, on account of the
thickness of the woods, Doctor Cabot had become
disgusted with sporting ; having no dog, it was some¬
times impossible to find one bird out of six, and he
confined his shooting to birds which he wanted for
dissection. At this time, too, we received intelli¬
gence that the fowls at the hacienda were running
short, and the eggs gave out altogether.
There was no time to be lost, and we forthwith
despatched Albino with an Indian to the village of
Moona, twelve miles distant, who returned with a
back-load of eggs, beans, rice, and sugar, and again
the sun went down upon us in the midst of plenty.
A pig arrived from Don Simon, sent from another
hacienda, the cooking of which enlisted the warm¬
est sympathies of all our heads of departments, Al¬
bino, Bernaldo, and Chaipa Chi. They had their
own way of doing it, national, and derived from
AN IMPOSING STRUCTURE. 253
their forefathers, being the same way in which those
respectable people cooked men and women, as Ber¬
nal Dias says, “ dressing the bodies in their manner,
which is by a sort of oven made with heated stones,
which are put under ground.” They made an ex¬
cavation on the terrace, kindled a large fire in it,
and kept it burning until the pit was heated like
an oven. Two clean stones were laid in the bot¬
tom, the pig (not alive) was laid upon them, and
covered over with leaves and bushes, packed down
with stones so close as barely to leave vent to the
fire, and allow an escape for the smoke.
While this bake was going on I set out on a bu¬
siness close at hand, but which, in the pressure of
other matters, I had postponed from day to day.
On a line with the back of the Casa del Gobemador
rises the high and nameless mound represented in
the frontispiece, forming one of the grandest and
most imposing structures among all the ruins of
Uxmal. It was at that time covered with trees and
a thick growth of herbage, which gave a gloominess
to its grandeur of proportions, and, but for its regu¬
larity, and a single belt of sculptured stones barely
visible at the top, it would have passed for a wood¬
ed and grass-grown hill. Taking some Indians
with me, I ascended this mound, and began clearing
it for Mr. Catherwood to draw. I found that its
vast sides were all incased with stone, in some pla¬
ces richly ornamented, but completely hidden from
view by the foliage.
22
254
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
The height of this mound was sixty-five feet, and
it measured at the base three hundred feet on one
side and two hundred on the other. On the top
was a great platform of solid stone, three feet high
and seventy-five feet square, and about fifteen feet
from the top was a narrow terrace running on all
four of the sides. The walls of the platform were
of smooth stone, and the corners had sculptured or¬
naments. The area consisted entirely of loose
rough stones, and there are no remains or other in¬
dications of any building. The great structure
seemed raised only for the purpose of holding aloft
this platform. Probably it had been the scene of
grand religious ceremonies, and stained with the
blood of human victims offered up in sight of the
assembled people. Near as it was, it was the first
time I had ascended this mound. It commanded
a full view of every building. The day was over¬
cast, the wind swept mournfully over the desolate
city, and since my arrival I had not felt so deeply
the solemnity and sublimity of these mysterious
ruins.
Around the top of the mound was a border of
sculptured stone ten or twelve feet high. The prin¬
cipal ornament was the Grecque, and in following
it round, and clearing away the trees and bushes,
on the west side, opposite the courtyard of the Casa
de Palomos, my attention was arrested by an orna¬
ment, the lower part of which was buried in rub¬
bish fallen from above. It was about the centre of
DIGGING INTO A MOUND.
255
this side of the mound, and from its position, and
the character of the ornament, I was immediately
impressed with the idea that it was over a doorway,
and that underneath was an entrance to an apart¬
ment in the mound. The Indians had cleared be¬
yond it, and passed on, but I called them back, and
set them to excavating the earth and rubbish that
buried the lower part of the ornament. It was an
awkward place to work in: the side of the mound
was steep, and the stones composing the ornament
were insecure and tottering. The Indians, as usual,
worked as if they had their lifetime for the job.
They were at all times tedious and trying, but now,
to my impatient eagerness, more painfully so than
ever. Urging them, as well as I could, and actu¬
ally making them comprehend my idea, I got them
to work four long hours without any intermis¬
sion, until they reached the cornice. The ornament
proved to be the same hideous face, with the teeth
standing out, before presented, varying somewhat in
detail, and upon a grander scale. Throwing up the
dirt upon the other side of them, the Indians had
made a great pile outside, and stood in a deep hole
against the face of the ornament. At this depth
the stones seemed hanging loosely over their heads,
and the Indians intimated that it was dangerous to
continue digging, but by this time my impatience
was beyond control. I had from time to time as¬
sisted in the work, and, urging them to continue, I
threw myself into the hole, and commenced digging
255
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
with all my strength. The stones went rolling and
crashing down the side of the mound, striking against
roots and tearing off branches. The perspiration
rolled from me in a stream, but I was so completely
carried away by the idea that had taken possession
of me, so sure of entering some chamber that had
been closed for ages, that I stopped at nothing; and
with all this I considered myself cool and calm,
and with great method resolved, as soon as I reached
the doorway, to stop and send for Mr. Catherwood
and Doctor Cabot, that we might all enter together,
and make a formal note of everything exactly as it
was found; but I was doomed to a worse disap¬
pointment than at El Laberinto de Maxcanu. Be¬
fore getting below the cornice I thrust the machete
through the earth, and found no opening, but a sol¬
id stone wall. The ground of my hope was gone,
but still I kept the Indians digging, unconsciously,
and without any object. In the interest of the mo¬
ment I was not aware that the clouds had dis¬
appeared, and that I had been working in this deep
hole, without a breath of air, under the full blaze
of a vertical sun. The disappointment and reaction
after the high excitement, co-operating with the fa¬
tigue and heat, prostrated all my strength. I felt
a heaviness and depression, and was actually sick
at heart, so that, calling off the Indians, I was fain
to give over and return to our quarters. In de¬
scending the mound my limbs could scarcely sup¬
port me. My strength and elasticity were gone.
THE CURA OF TICUL. 257
With great difficulty I dragged myself to our apart¬
ments. My thirst was unquenchable. I threw my¬
self into my hammock, and in a few moments a
fiery fever was upon me. Our household was
thrown into consternation. Disease had stalked all
around us, but it was the first time it had knocked
at our door.
On the third day, while in the midst of a violent
attack, a gentleman arrived whose visit I had expect¬
ed, and had looked forward to with great interest.
It was the cura Carillo of Ticul, a village seven
leagues distant. A week after our arrival at the
ruins, the mayoral had received a letter from him,
asking whether a visit would be acceptable to us.
We had heard of him as a person who took more
interest in the antiquities of the country than almost
any other, and who possessed more knowledge on
the subject. He had been in the habit of coming to
Uxmal alone to wander among the ruins, and we
had contemplated an excursion to Ticul on purpose
to make his acquaintance. We were, therefore,
most happy to receive his overture, and advised him
that we should anxiously expect his visit. His first
words to me were, that it was necessary for me to
leave the place and go with him to Ticul I was
extremely reluctant to do so, but it was considered
advisable by all. He would not consent to my go¬
ing alone, or with his servant, and the next morning,
instead of a pleasant visit to the ruins, he found him¬
self trotting home with a sick man at his heels. In
VOL. I.— K K
258
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
consequence of some misunderstanding, no coche
was in readiness, and I set out on horseback. It
was my interval day, and at the moment the bare
absence of pain was a positively pleasant sensation.
In this humour, in the beginning of our ride, I lis¬
tened with much interest to the cura’s exposition of
different points and localities, but . by degrees my at¬
tention flagged, and finally my whole soul was fixed
on the sierra, which stood out before us at a dis¬
tance of two leagues from San Jose. Twice be¬
fore I had crossed that sierra, and had looked upon
it almost with delight, as relieving the monotony of
constant plains, but now it was a horrible prospect. '
My pains increased as we advanced, and I dis¬
mounted at the hacienda in a state impossible to be
described. The mayoral was away, the doors were
all locked, and I lay down on some bags in the cor¬
ridor. Rest tranquillized me. There was but one
Indian to be found, and he told the cura that there
were none to make a coche. Those in the neigh¬
bourhood were sick, and the others were at work
more than a league away. It was impossible to
continue on horseback, and, fortunately, the may-
oral came, who changed the whole face of things
and in a few minutes had men engaged in making
a coche. The cura went on before to prepare for
my reception. In an hour my coche was ready,
and at five o’clock I crawled in. My carriers were
loth to start, but, once under way, they took it in
good part, and set off on a trot. Changing shoul-
VICTIMS TO FEVER.
259
ders frequently, they never stopped till they carried
me into Ticul, three leagues or nine miles distant,
and laid me down on the floor of the convent. The
cura was waiting to receive me. Albino had arrived
with my catre, which was already set up, and in a
few minutes I was in bed. The bells were ringing
for a village fiesta, rockets and fireworks were whiz¬
zing and exploding, and from a distance the shrill
voice of a boy screeching out the numbers of the
loteria pierced my ears. The sounds were mur¬
derous, but the kindness of the cura, and the satis¬
faction of being away from an infected atmosphere,
were so grateful that I fell asleep.
For three days I did not leave my bed; but on the
fourth I breathed the air from the balcony of the
convent. It was fresh, pure, balmy, and invigo¬
rating.
In the afternoon of the next day I set out with
the cura for a stroll. We had gone but a short dis¬
tance, when an Indian came running after us to in¬
form us that another of the caballeros had arrived
sick from the ruins. We hurried back, and found
Doctor Cabot lying in a coche on the floor of the
corridor at the door of the convent. He crawled
out labouring under a violent fever, increased by the
motion and fatigue of his ride, and I was startled by
the extraordinary change a few days had made in
his appearance. His face was flushed, his eyes were
wild, his figure lank; and he had not strength to
support himself, but pitched against me, who could
>
260 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
barely keep myself up, and both nearly came down
together. He had been attacked the day after I left,
and the fever had been upon him, with but little in¬
termission, ever since. All night, and all the two
ensuing days, it continued rising and decreasing, but
never leaving him. It was attended with constant
restlessness and delirium, so that, he was hardly in
bed before he was up again, pitching about the
room.
The next day Mr. Catherwood forwarded Albi¬
no, who, with two attacks, was shaken and sweated
into a dingy-looking white man. Mr. Catherwood
wrote that he was entirely alone at the ruins, and
should hold out as long as he could against fever
and ghosts, but with the first attack should come up
and join us.
Our situation and prospects were now gloomy.
If Mr. Catherwood was taken ill, work was at an
end, and perhaps the whole object of our expedition
frustrated; but the poor cura was more to be pitied
than any of us. His unlucky visit to Uxmal had
brought upon him three infermos, with the prospect
every day of a fourth. His convent was turned into
a hospital; but the more claims we made upon him,
the more he exerted himself to serve us. I could
not but smile, when speaking to Doctor Cabot of his
kindness, as the latter, rolling and tossing with fe¬
ver, replied, that if the cura had any squint-eyed
friends, he could cure them.
The cura watched the doctor carefully, but with-
A SIMPLE REMEDY FOR FEVER. 261
out venturing to offer advice to a medico who could
cure biscos, but the third day he alarmed me by the
remark that the expression of the doctor’s face was
fatal. In Spanish this only means very bad, but it
had always in my ears an uncomfortable sound.
The cura added that there were certain indices of
this disease which were mortal, but, happily, these
had not yet exhibited themselves in the doctor.
The bare suggestion, however, alarmed me. I in¬
quired of the cura about the mode of treatment in
the country, and whether he could not prescribe for
him. Doctor Cabot had never seen anything of this
disease, particularly as affected by climate. Besides,
he was hors de combat on account of the absence
of our medicine-chest, and in such constant pain
and delirium that he was in no condition to pre¬
scribe for himself.
The cura was the temporal as well as spiritual
physician of the village; there were daily applica¬
tions to him for medicine, and he was constantly vis¬
iting the sick. Doctor Cabot was willing to put
himself entirely into his hands, and he administered
a preparation which I mention for the benefit of fu¬
ture travellers who may be caught without a med¬
icine-chest. It was a simple decoction of the rind
of the sour orange flavoured with cinnamon and
lemon-juice, of which he administered a tumbler¬
ful warm every two hours. At the second draught
the doctor was thrown into a profuse perspiration.
For the first time since his attack the fever left him,
I
262 INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
and he had an unbroken sleep. On waking, copi¬
ous draughts of tamarind water were given; when
the fever came on again the decoction was repeated,
with tamarind water in the intervals. The effect
of this treatment was particularly happy, and it is
desirable for strangers to know it, for the sour or¬
ange is found in every part of the country, and from
what we saw of it then and afterward, it is, per¬
haps, a better remedy for fever in that climate than
any known in foreign pharmacy.
The village of Ticul, to which we were thus ac¬
cidentally driven, was worthy of the -visit, once in
his life, of a citizen of New-York. The first time
I looked upon it from the balcony of the convent, it
struck me as the perfect picture of stillness and re¬
pose. The plaza was overgrown with grass; a few
mules, with their fore feet hoppled, were pasturing
upon it, and at long intervals a single horseman
crossed it. The balcony of the convent was on
a level with the tops of the houses, and the view
was of a great plain, with houses of one story, flat
roofs, high garden walls, above which orange, lemon,
and plantain trees were growing, and, after the loud
ringing of the matin and vesper bell was over, the
only noise was the singing of birds. All business
or visiting was done early in the morning or toward
evening; and through the rest of the day, during the
heat, the inhabitants were within doors, and it might
almost have passed for a deserted village.
Like all the Spanish villages, it was laid out with
VILLAGE OF TICUL.
263
its plaza and streets running at right angles, and was
distinguished among the villages of Yucatan for its
casas de piedra, or stone houses. These were on
the plaza and streets adjoining; and back, extending
more than a mile each way, were the huts of the
Indians. These huts were generally plastered, en¬
closed by stone fences, and imbowered among trees,
or, rather, overgrown and concealed by weeds. The
population was about five thousand, of which about
three hundred families were vecinos, or white peo¬
ple, and the rest Indians. Fresh meat can be pro¬
cured every day; the tienda grande, or large store
of Guzman, would not disgrace Merida. The
bread is better than at the capital. Altogether, for
appearance, society, and conveniences of living, it
is perhaps the best village in Yucatan, and famous
for its bull-fights and the beauty of its Mestiza
women.
The church and convent occupy the whole of
one side of the plaza. Both were built by the
Franciscan monks, and they are among the grandest
of those gigantic buildings with which that powerful
order marked its entrance into the country. They
stand on a stone platform about four feet high and
several hundred feet in front. The church w r as
large and sombre, and adorned with rude monu¬
ments and figures calculated to inspire the Indians
with reverence and awe. In one place, in a niche
in the wall, was a funeral urn, painted black, with a
white streak around the top, which contains the
264
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
ashes of a lady of the village. Under it was a mon¬
ument with this inscription:
\ Hombres!
He aqui el termino de nuestros afanes ;
La muerte, tierra, nada.
En esta uma reposan los restos de Dna Loretta Lara,
Muger caritativa, y esposa fiel, niadre tiema,
prudente y virtuosa.
i Mortales!
A1 Senor dirigamos por ella nuestras preces.
Fallecio
El 29 de Novembre del ano 1830, a los 44 de su edad.
i 0 Man!
Behold the end of our troubles—
Death, Earth, Nothing.
In this urn repose the remains of Dna Loretta Lara,
A charitable woman, faithful wife, and tender mother,
prudent and virtuous.
; Mortals!
To the Lord let us direct our prayers for her.
She died
The 29th of November, in the year 1830, aged 44.
One of the altars was decorated with human
skulls and cross-bones, and in the rear of the church
was a great charnel-house. It was enclosed by a
high stone wall, and was filled with a collection of
skulls and bones, which, after the flesh had decayed,
had been dug up from the graves in the cemetery of
the church.
THE CONVENT.
265
The convent is connected with the church by a
spacious corridor. It is a gigantic structure, built
entirely of stone, with massive walls, and four hun¬
dred feet in length. The entrance is under a no¬
ble portico, with high stone pillars, from which as¬
cends a broad stone staircase to a spacious cor¬
ridor twenty feet wide. This corridor runs through
the whole length of the building, with a stone pave¬
ment, and is lighted in two places by a dome. On
each side are cloisters, once occupied by a numerous
body of Franciscan friars. The first two and prin¬
cipal of these cloisters on the left are occupied by
the cura, and were our home. Another is occupied
by one of his ministros, and in the fourth was an old
Indian making cigars. The rest on this side are
unoccupied, and on the right, facing the great gar¬
den of the convent, all the cloisters are untenanted,
dismantled, and desolate; the doors and windows
are broken, and grass and weeds are growing out of
the floors. The garden had once been in harmony
with the grandeur and style of the convent, and now
shares its fortunes. Its wells and fountains, parterres
and beds of flowers, are all there, but neglected and
running to waste, weeds, oranges, and lemons grow¬
ing wildly together, and our horses were turned into
it loose, as into a pasture.
Associated in my mind with this ruined convent,
so as almost to form part of the building, is our host,
the pride and love of the village, the cura Carillo.
He was past forty, tall and thin, with an open, ani-
Vol. I.—L l 23
266
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
mated, and intelligent countenance, manly, and at the
same time mild, and belonged to the once powerful
order of Franciscan friars, now reduced in this re¬
gion to himself and a few companions. After the
destruction of the convent at Merida, and the scat¬
tering of the friars, his friends procured for him the
necessary papers to enable him to secularize, but he
would not abandon the brotherhood in its waning
fortunes, and still wore the long blue gown, the cord,
and cross of the Franciscan monks. By the regu¬
lations of his order, all the receipts of his curacy be¬
longed to the brotherhood, deducting only forty dol¬
lars per month for himself. With this pittance, he
could live and extend hospitality to strangers. His
friends urged him to secularize, engaging to procure
for him a better curacy, but he steadily refused; he
never expected to be rich, and did not wish to be;
he had enough for his wants, and did not desire
more. He was content with his village and with
the people ; he was the friend of everybody, and
everybody was his friend; in short, for a man not
indolent, but, on the contrary, unusually active both
in mind and body, he was, without affectation or
parade, more entirely contented with his lot than
any man I ever knew. The quiet and seclusion of
his village did not afford sufficient employment for his
active mind, but, fortunately for science and for me,
and strangely enough as it was considered, he had
turned his attention to the antiquities of the country.
He could neither go far from home, nor be absent
TIME OF CONSTRUCTION UNKNOWN. 267
long, but he had visited every place within his reach,
and was literally an enthusiast in the pursuit. His
friends smiled at this folly, but, in consideration of
his many good qualities, excused it. There was no
man in the country whom we were so well pleased
to meet, and as it was a rare thing for him to asso¬
ciate with persons who took the slightest interest in
his hobby, he mourned that he could not throw up
all his business and accompany us in our explora¬
tion of the ruins.
It is worthy of remark, that even to a man so
alive to all subjects of antiquarian interest, the his¬
tory of the building of this convent is entirely un¬
known. In the pavement of the great corridor, in
the galleries, walls, and roof, both of the church and
convent, are stones from ancient buildings, and no
doubt both were constructed with materials furnish¬
ed by the ruined edifices of another race, but when,
or how, or under what circumstances, is unknown.
On the roof the cura had discovered, in a situation
which would hardly have attracted any eyes but his
own, a square stone, having roughly engraved on it
this inscription:
26
Marzo,
1625.
Perhaps this had reference to the date of the con¬
struction, and if so, it is the only known record that
exists in relation to it; and the thought almost una¬
voidably occurs, that where such obscurity exists in
268
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
regard to a building constructed by the Spaniards
but little more than two hundred years ago, how
much darker must be the cloud that hangs over the
ruined cities of the aborigines, erected, if not ruined,
before the conquest.
During the first days of my convalescence I had
a quiet and almost mournful interest in wandering
about this venerable convent. I passed, too, some
interesting hours in looking over the archives. The
books had a time-worn aspect, with parchment cov¬
ers, tattered and worm-eaten. In some places the
ink had faded, and the writing was illegible. They
were the records of the early monks, written by their
own hands, and contained a register of baptisms and
marriages, including, perhaps, the first Indian who
assented to these Christian rites. It was my hope
to find in these archives some notice, however slight,
of the circumstances under which the early fathers
set up the standard of the cross in this Indian town,
but the first book has no preamble or introduction
of any kind, commencing abruptly with the entry of
a marriage.,
This entry bears date in 1588 , but forty or fifty
years after the Spaniards established themselves in
Merida. This is thirty-eight years anterior to the
date on the stone before referred to, but it is reasona¬
ble to suppose that the convent was not built until
some time after the beginning of the archives. The
monks doubtless commenced keeping a register of
baptisms and marriages as soon as there were any to
RECORD OF MARRIAGES.
269
record, but as they were distinguished for policy and
prudence as well as zeal, it is not likely that they un¬
dertook the erection of this gigantic building until
they had been settled in the country long enough to
understand thoroughly its population and resources,
for these buildings had not only to be erected, but
to be kept up, and their ministers supported by the
resources of the district. Besides, the great church¬
es and convents found in all parts of Spanish Amer¬
ica were not built by means of funds sent from Spain,
but by the labour of the Indians themselves, after
they were completely subdued and compelled to
work for the Spaniards, or, more generally, after
they had embraced Christianity, when they volunta¬
rily erected buildings for the new worship and its
ministers. It is not probable that either of these
events occurred in this interior village so early as
15S8.
These first entries are of the marriage, or rather
marriages, of two widowers and two widows—X.
Diego Chuc with Maria Hu, and Zpo-Bot with
Cata Keul. In running over the archives, it ap¬
peared, I found, that there was in those days an
unusual number of widowers and widows disposed
to marry again, and, in fact, that the business of
this kind was in a great measure confined to them;
but probably, as the relation of husband and wife
was not very clearly defined among the Indians,
these candidates for Christian matrimony had only
jTil’ted from former companions, and, through the
270
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
charity or modesty of the monks, were called wid¬
owers and widows.
The first baptisms are on the twentieth of No¬
vember, 1594, when considerable business seems to
have been done. There are four entries on that
day, and, in looking over the pages, from my ac¬
quaintance with the family I was struck with the
name of Mel Chi, probably an ancestor of our
Chaipa Chi. This Mel seems to have been one of
the pillars of the padres, and a standing godfather
for Indian babies.
There was no instruction to be derived from
these archives, but the handwriting of the monks,
and the marks of the Indians, seemed almost to
make me a participator in the wild and romantic
scenes of the conquest; at all events, they were
proof that, forty or fifty years after the conquest,
the Indians were abandoning their ancient usages
and customs, adopting the rites and ceremonies of
the Catholic Church, and having their children
baptized with Spanish names.
m
another ruined city.
271
CHAPTER XIII.
Another ruined City.—Relics.—Ruins of San Francisco.—Proved
to be those of the Aboriginal City of the name Ticul.—A beau¬
tiful Yase.—Search for a Sepulchre.—Discovery of a Skeleton
and Vase.—An Indian Needle.—These Cities not built by De¬
scendants of Egyptians.—Their Antiquity not very great.—Ex¬
amination of the Skeleton by Doctor Morton, and his Opinion.
—Mummies from Peru.—These Cities built by the Ancestors
of the present Race of Indians.—The Seybo Tree.—The Campo
Santo.—A quiet Village.
It was fortunate for the particular objects of our
expedition that, go where we would in this country,
the monuments of its ancient inhabitants were be¬
fore our eyes. Near the village of Ticul, almost in
the suburbs, are the ruins of another ancient and
unknown city. From the time of our arrival the
memorials of it had been staring us in the face.
The cura had some sculptured stones of new and
exceedingly pretty design; and heads, vases, and
other relics, found in excavating the ruins, were
fixed in the fronts of houses as ornaments. My first
stroll with the cura was to these ruins.
At the end of a long street leading out beyond
the campo santo we turned to the right by a nar¬
row path, overgrown with bushes covered with wild
flowers, and on which birds of beautiful plumage
272
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
were sitting, but so infested with garrapatas that we
had to keep brushing them off continually with the
bough of a tree.
This path led us to the hacienda of San Fran¬
cisco, the property of a gentleman of the village,
who had reared the walls of a large building, but
had never finished it. There were fine shade trees,
and the appearance of the place was rural and pic¬
turesque, but it was unhealthy. The deep green
foliage was impregnated with the seeds of death.
The proprietor never visited it except in the day¬
time, and the Indians who worked on the milpas
returned to the village at night.
A short distance in the rear of the hacienda were
the ruins of another city, desolate and overgrown,
having no name except that of the hacienda on
which they stand. At this time a great part of the
city was completely hidden by the thick foliage of
the trees. Near by, however, several mounds were
in full sight, dilapidated, and having fragments of
walls on the top. We ascended the highest, which
commanded a magnificent view of the great wood¬
ed plain, and at a distance the towers of the church
of Ticul rising darkly above. The cura told me
that in the dry season, when the trees were bare of
foliage, he had counted from this point thirty-six
mounds, every one of which had once held aloft a
building or temple, and not one now remained en¬
tire. In the great waste of ruins it was impossible
to form any idea of what the place had been, ex-
RUINS OF SAN FRANCISCO. 273
cept from its vastness and the specimens of sculp¬
tured stone seen in the village, but beyond doubt it
was of the same character as Uxmal, and erected by
the same people. Its vicinity to the village had made
its destruction more complete. For generations it
had served as a mere quarry to furnish the inhabi¬
tants with building-stone. The present proprietor
was then excavating and selling, and he lamented
to me that the piedra labrada, or worked stone, was
nearly exhausted, and his profit from this source
cut off.
A few words toward identifying these ruins.
The plan for reducing Yucatan was to send a
small number of Spaniards, who were called veci-
nos (the name still used to designate the white pop¬
ulation), into the Indian towns and villages where it
was thought advisable to make settlements. We
have clear and authentic accounts of the existence
of a large Indian town called Ticul, certainly in
the same neighbourhood where the Spanish village
of that name now stands. It must have been either
on the site now occupied by the latter, or on that
occupied by the ruins of San Francisco. Suppo¬
sing the first supposition to be correct, not a single
vestige of the Indian city remains. Now it is in-
contestible that the Spaniards found in the Indian
towns of Yucatan, mounds, temples, and other large
buildings of stone. If those on the hacienda of
San Francisco are of older date, and the work of
races who have passed away, as vast remains of
Vol. I.—M M
274
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
them still exist, though subject to the same destroy¬
ing causes, why has every trace of the stone build¬
ings in the Indian city disappeared l
And it appears in every page of the history of
the Spanish conquest, that the Spaniards never at¬
tempted to occupy the houses and villages of the
Indians as they stood. Their habits of life were
inconsistent with such occupation, and, besides, their
policy was to desolate and destroy them, and build
up others after their own style and manner. It is
not likely that at the early epoch at which they are
known to have gone to Ticul, with their small num¬
bers, they would have undertaken to demolish the
whole Indian town, and build their own upon its
ruins. The probability is, that they plainted their
own village on the border, and erected their church
as an antagonist and rival to the heathen temples;
the monks, with all the imposing ceremonies of the
Catholic Church, battled with the Indian priests;
and, gradually overthrowing the power of the ca¬
ciques, or putting them to death, they depopulated
the old town, and drew the Indians to their own
village. It is my belief that the ruins on the haci¬
enda of San Francisco are those of the aboriginal
city of Ticul.
From the great destruction of the buildings, I
thought it unprofitable to attempt any explora¬
tion of these ruins, especially considering the insalu¬
brity of the place and our own crippled state. In
the excavations constantly going on, objects of
A BEAUTIFUL VASE.
275
interest were from time to time discovered, one of
which, a vase, was fortunately only loaned to us
to make a drawing of, or it would have shared the
fate of the others, and been burned up by that
fire. The engraving below represents two sides of
Front of Ticul vase.
the vase; on one side is a border of hieroglyphics,
with sunken lines running to the bottom, and on
the other the reader will observe that the face por¬
trayed bears a strong resemblance to those of the
sculptured and stuccoed figures at Palenque: the
headdress, too, is a plume of feathers, and the hand
276
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
is held out in the same stiff position. The vase is
four and a half inches high, and five inches in di¬
ameter. It is of admirable workmanship, and real¬
izes the account given by Herrera of the markets
at the Mexican city of Tlascala. “ There were
goldsmiths, feather-men, barbers, baths, and as good
earthenioare as in Spain.”
It was not yet considered safe for me to return to
Uxmal, and the sight of these vases induced me to
devote a few days to excavating among the ruins.
The cura took upon himself the whole burden of
making arrangements, and early in the morning
we were on the ground with Indians. Amid the
great waste of ruins it was difficult to know what
to do or where to begin. In Egypt, the labours
of discoverers have given some light to subse¬
quent explorers, but here all was dark. My great
desire was to discover an ancient sepulchre, which
we had sought in vain among the ruins of Uxmal.
These were not to be looked for in the large mounds,
or, at all events, it was a work of too much labour
to attempt opening one of them. At length, after a
careful examination, the cura selected one, upon
which we began.
It was a square stone structure, with sides four
feet high, and the top was rounded over with earth
and stones bedded in it. It stood in a small milpa,
or corn-field, midway between two high mounds,
which had evidently been important structures, and
from its position seemed to have some direct con-
SEARCH FOR A SEPULCHRE.
277
nexion with them. Unlike most of the mined struc¬
tures around, it was entire, with every stone in its
place, and probably had not been disturbed since
the earth and stones had been packed down on
the top.
The Indians commenced picking out the stones
and clearing away the earth with their hands. For¬
tunately, they had a crowbar, an instrument un¬
known in Central America, but indispensable here
on account of the stony nature of the soil, and for
the first and only time in the country I had no
trouble in superintending the work. The cura gave
them directions in their own language, and under
his eye they worked actively. Nevertheless, the
process was unavoidably slow. In digging down,
they found the inner side of the outer wall, and the
whole interior was loose earth and stones, with
some layers of large flat stones, the whole very
rough. In the mean time the sun was beating upon
us with prodigious force, and some of the people of
the village, among others the proprietor of the ha¬
cienda, came down to look on and have an inward
smile at our folly. The cura had read a Spanish
translation of the Antiquary, and said that we were
surrounded by Edie Ochiltrees, though he himself,
with his tall, thin figure and long gown, presented
a lively image of that renowned mendicant. We
continued the work six hours, and the whole ap¬
pearance of things was so rude that we began to
despair of success, when, on prying up a large flat
24
278
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
stone, we saw underneath a skull. The reader may
imagine our satisfaction. We made the Indians
throw away crowbar and machete, and work with
their hands. I was exceedingly anxious to get the
skeleton out entire, but it was impossible to do so.
It had no covering or envelope of any kind; the
earth was thrown upon it as in a common grave,
and as this was removed it all fell to pieces. It was
in a sitting posture, with its face toward the setting
sun. The knees were bent against the stomach, the
arms doubled from the elbow, and the hands clasp¬
ing the neck or supporting the head. The skull
was unfortunately broken, but the facial bone was en¬
tire, with the jaws and teeth, and the enamel on the
latter still bright, but when the skull was handed up
many of them fell out. The Indians picked up ev¬
ery bone and tooth, and handed them to me. It
was strangely interesting, with the ruined structures
towering around us, after a lapse of unknown ages,
to bring to light these buried bones. Whose were
they 1 The Indians were excited, and conversed
in low tones. The cura interpreted what they
said; and the burden of it was, “ They are the
bones of our kinsman,” and “What will our kins¬
man say at our dragging forth his bones ?” But for
the cura they would have covered them up and left
the sepulchre.
In collecting the bones, one of the Indians picked
up a small white object, which would have escaped
any but an Indian’s eye. It was made of deer’s
DISCOVERY OF A SKELETON AND VASE. 279
horn, about two inches long, sharp at the point, with
an eye at the other end. They all called it a nee¬
dle, and the reason of their immediate and unhesi¬
tating opinion was the fact that the Indians of the
present day use needles of the same material, two
of which the cura procured for me on our return to
the convent. One of the Indians, who had acquired
some confidence by gossiping with the cura, jocosely
said that the skeleton was either that of a woman
or a tailor.
The position of this skeleton was not in the cen¬
tre of the sepulchre, but on one side, and on the oth¬
er side of it was a very large rough stone or rock
firmly imbedded in the earth, which it would have
taken a long time to excavate with our instruments.
In digging round it and on the other side, at some
little distance from the skeleton we found a large
vase of rude pottery, resembling very much the can-
taro used by the Indians now as a water-jar. It had
a rough flat stone lying over the mouth, so as to ex¬
clude the earth, on removing which we found, to
our great disappointment, that it was entirely empty,
except some little hard black flakes, which were
thrown out and buried before the vase was taken
up. It had a small hole worn in one side of the bot¬
tom, through which liquid or pulverized substances
could have escaped. It may have contained water
or the heart of the skeleton. This vase was got
out entire, and is now ashes.
One idea presented itself to my mind with more
280
INCIDENTS OF T RAVED*
force than it had ever possessed before, and that
was the utter impossibility of ascribing these ruins
to Egyptian builders. The magnificent tombs of
the kings at Thebes rose up before me. It was on
their tombs that the Egyptians lavished their skill,
industry, and wealth, and no people, brought up in
Egyptian schools, descended from Egyptians, or de¬
riving their lessons from them, would ever have con¬
structed in so conspicuous a place so rude a sepulchre.
Besides this, the fact of finding these bones in so
good a state of preservation, at a distance of only
three or four feet from the surface of the earth, com¬
pletely destroys all idea of the extreme antiquity of
these buildings ; and again there was the universal
and unhesitating exclamation of the Indians, “ They
are the bones of our kinsman.”
But whosesoever they were, little did the pious
friends who placed them there ever imagine the fate
to which they were destined. I had them carried
to the convent, thence to Uxmal, and thence I bore
them away forever from the bones of their kindred.
In their rough journeys on the backs of mules and
Indians they were so crumbled and broken that in
a court of law their ancient proprietor would not be
able to identify them, and they left me one night in
a pocket-handkerchief to be carried to Doctor S. G.
Morton of Philadelphia.
Known by the research he has bestowed upon
the physical features of the aboriginal American
races, and particularly by his late work entitled “ Cra-
OPINION OF DR. MORTON.
281
nia Americana,” which is acknowledged, in the an¬
nual address of the president of the Royal Geo¬
graphical Society of London, as “ a welcome offer¬
ing to the lovers of comparative physiology,” this
gentleman, in a communication on that subject, for
which I here acknowledge my obligations, says that
this skeleton, dilapidated as it is, has afforded him
some valuable facts, and has been a subject of some
interesting reflections.
The purport of his opinion is as follows : In the
first place, the needle did not deceive the Indian
who picked it up in the grave. The bones are
those of a female. Her height did not exceed five
feet three or four inches. The teeth are perfect,
and not. appreciably worn, while the epiphyses ,
those infallible indications of the growing state,
have just become consolidated, and mark the com¬
pletion of adult age.
The bones of the hands and feet are remarkably
small and delicately proportioned, which observa¬
tion applies also to the entire skeleton. The skull
was crushed into many pieces, but, by a cautious
manipulation. Doctor Morton succeeded in recon¬
structing the posterior and lateral portions. The
occiput is remarkably flat and vertical, while the lat¬
eral or parietal diameter measures no less than five
inches and eight tenths.
A chemical examination of some fragments of the
bones proves them to he almost destitute of animal
Voi„ I.—N N
282
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
matter, which, in the perfect osseous structure, con¬
stitutes about thirty-three parts in the hundred.
On the upper part of the left tibia there is a swell¬
ing of the bone, called, in surgical language, a node ,
an inch and a half in length, and more than half an
inch above the natural surface. This morbid con¬
dition may have resulted from a variety of causes,
but possesses greater interest on account of its ex¬
treme infrequency among the primitive Indian pop¬
ulation of the country.
On a late visit to Boston I had the satisfaction
of examining a small and extremely interesting col¬
lection of mummied bodies in the possession of Mr.
John H. Blake, of that city, dug up by himself from
an ancient cemetery in Peru. This cemetery lies on
the shore of the Bay of Chacota, near Arica, in lat¬
itude 18° 20' south. It covers a large tract of
ground. The graves are all of a circular form,
from two to four feet in diameter, and from four to
five feet deep. In one of them Mr. Blake found
the mummies of a man, a woman, a child twelve or
fourteen years old, and an infant. They were all
closely wrapped in woollen garments of various col¬
ours and degrees of fineness, seemed by needles of
thorn thrust through the cloth. The skeletons are
saturated with some bituminous substance, and are
all in a remarkable state of preservation. The
woollen cloths, too, are well preserved, which no
doubt is accounted for, in a great degree, by the ex¬
treme dryness of the soil and atmosphere of that
part of Peru.
MUMMIES FROM PERU.
283
Mr. Blake visited many other cemeteries between
the Andes and the Pacific Ocean as far south as
Chili, all of which possess the same general features
with those found in the elevated valleys of the Pe¬
ruvian Andes. No record or tradition exists in re¬
gard to these cemeteries, but woollen cloths similar
to those found by Mr. Blake are woven at this day,
and probably in the same manner, by the Indians
of Peru ; and in the eastern part of Bolivia, to the
southward of the place where these mummies were
discovered, he found, on the most barren portion of
the Desert of Atacama, a few Indians, who, proba¬
bly from the difficulty of access to their place of
abode, have been less influenced by the Spaniards,
and for this reason retain more of their primitive
customs, and their dress at this day resembles closely
that which envelops the bodies in his possession,
both in the texture and the form.
Doctor Morton says that these mummies from
Peru have the same peculiarities in the form of the
skull, the same delicacy of the bones, and the same
remarkable smallness of the hands and feet, with
that found in the sepulchre at San Francisco. He
says, too, from an examination of nearly four hun¬
dred skulls of individuals belonging to older nations
of Mexico and Peru, and of skulls dug from the
mounds of our western country, that he finds them
all formed on the same model, and conforming in a
remarkable manner to that brought from San Fran¬
cisco ; and that this cranium has the same type of
284
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
physical conformation which has been bestowed
with amazing uniformity upon all the tribes on our
continent, from Canada to Patagonia, and from the
Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. He adds, that it af¬
fords additional support to the opinion which he
has always entertained, that, notwithstanding some
slight variation in physical conformation, and others
of a much more remarkable character in intellectual
attainments, all the aboriginal Americans of all
known epochs belong to the same great and dis¬
tinctive race.
If this opinion is correct, and I believe it—if this
skeleton does present the same type of physical
conformation with all the tribes of our continent—
then, indeed, do these crumbling bones declare, as
with a voice from the grave, that we cannot go back
to any ancient nation of the Old World for the build¬
ers of these cities; they are not the works of peo¬
ple who have passed away, and whose history is
lost, but of the same great race which, changed,
miserable, and degraded, still clings around their
ruins.
To return to the ruins of San Francisco. We
devoted two days more to excavating, but did not
make any farther discoveries.
Among the ruins were circular holes in the
ground like those at Uxmal. The mouth of one
was broken and enlarged, and I descended by a
ladder into a dome-shaped chamber, precisely the
same as at Uxmal, but a little larger. At Uxmal
THE SEYBO TREE.
285
the character of these was mere matter of conjec¬
ture ; but at this short distance, the Indians had
specific notions in regard to their objects and uses,
and called them chultunes, or wells. In all direc¬
tions, too, were seen the oblong stones hollowed
out like troughs, which at Uxmal were called pilas,
or fountains, but here the Indians called them hol-
cas or piedras de molir, stones for grinding, which
they said were used by the ancients to mash corn
upon ; and the proprietor showed us a round stone
like a bread roller, which they called kabtum, bra-
zo de piedra, or arm of stone, used, as they said, for
mashing the corn. The different names they as¬
signed in different places to the same thing, and the
different uses ascribed to it, show, with many other
facts, the utter absence of all traditionary knowl¬
edge among the Indians ; and this is perhaps the
greatest difficulty we have to encounter in ascribing
to their ancestors the building of these cities.
The last day we returned from the ruins earlier
than usual, and stopped at the campo santo. In
front stood a noble seybo tree. I had been anxious
to learn something of the growth of this tree, but
had never had an opportunity of doing it before.
The cura told me that it was then twenty-three
years old. There could be no doubt or mistake on
this point. Its age was as well known as his own,
or that of any other person in the village. The
following woodcut represents this tree. The trunk
at the distance of five feet from the ground measured
286
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Seybo Tree.
17 ? feet in circumference, and its great branches af¬
forded on all sides a magnificent shade. We had
found trees like it growing on the tops of the ruined
structures at Copan and Palenque, and many had
for that reason ascribed to the buildings a very great
antiquity. This tree completely removed all doubts
which I might have entertained, and confirmed me
in the opinion I had before expressed, that no cor¬
rect judgment could be formed of the antiquity of
these buildings from the size of the trees growing
THE CAMPO SANTO.
287
upon them. Remarkable as I considered this tree
at that time, I afterward saw larger ones, in more
favourable situations, not so old.
The campo santo was enclosed by a high stone
wall. The interior had some degree of plan and
arrangement, and in some places were tombs, built
above ground, belonging to families in the village,
hung with withered wreaths and votive offerings.
The population tributary to it was about five thou¬
sand ; it had been opened but five years, and alrea¬
dy it presented a ghastly spectacle. There were
many new-made graves, and on several of the vaults
were a skull and small collection of bones in a box
or tied up in a napkin, being the remains of one
buried within and taken out to make room for an¬
other corpse. On one of them were the skull and
bones of a lady of the village, in a basket; an old
acquaintance of the cura, who had died within two
years. Among the bones was a pair of white satin
shoes, which she had perhaps worn in the dance,
and with which on her feet she had been buried.
At one corner of the cemetery was a walled en¬
closure, about twenty feet high and thirty square,
within which was the charnel-house of the ceme¬
tery. A flight of stone steps led to the top of the
wall, and on the platform of the steps and along the
wall were skulls and bones, some in boxes and bas¬
kets, and some tied up in cotton cloths, soon to be
thrown upon the common pile, but as yet having la¬
bels with the names written on them, to make known
288
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
/
yet a little while longer the individuals to whom they
had once belonged. Within the enclosure the earth
was covered several feet deep with the promiscuous
and undistinguishable bones of rich and poor, high
and low, men, women, and children, Spaniards,
Mestizoes, and Indians, all mingled together as they
happened to fall. Among them were fragments of
bright-coloured dresses, and the long hair of women
still clinging to the skull. Of all the sad mementoes
declaring the end to which all that is bright and
beautiful in this world is doomed, none ever touched
me so affectingly as this—the ornament and crown¬
ing charm of woman, the peculiar subject of her
taste and daily care, loose, dishevelled, and twining
among dry and mouldering bones.
We left the campo santo, and walked up the long
street of the village, the quiet, contented character
of the people impressing itself more strongly than
ever upon my mind. The Indians were sitting in
the yards, shrouded by cocoanut and orange trees,
weaving hammocks and platting palm leaves for
hats; the children were playing naked in the road,
and the Mestiza women were sitting in the door¬
ways sewing. The news of our digging up the
bones had created a sensation. All wanted to know
what the day’s work had produced, and all rose up
as the cura passed; the Indians came to kiss hig
hand, and, as he remarked, except when the crop of
maize was short, all were happy. In a place of
such bustle and confusion as our own city, it is im¬
possible to imagine the quiet of this village.
RUMOURS OF AN INSURRECTION. 289
CHAPTER XIV.
Departure from Ticul.—The Sierra.—Nohcacab.—Ruins of Non¬
pat.—Return to Uxmal.—The Campo Santo.—Work of Mr. Wal-
deck.—General Description of the Ruins.—Two ruined Edifices.
—Great Stone Rings.—House of the Nuns.—Dimensions, &c.—
—Courtyard.—Facades.—A lofty Edifice.—Complicated Orna¬
ment.—Painted Facades.—Sculptured Doorways.—House of
the Birds.—Remains of Painting.—An Arch.—House of the
Dwarf.—Building loaded with Ornaments.—Long and narrow
Structure.—Tasteful Arrangement of Ornaments.—Human Sac¬
rifices.—House of the Pigeons.—Range of Terraces called the
Campo Santo.—House of the Old Woman.—Circular Mound
of Ruins.—Wall of the City.—Close of Description.—Title Pa¬
pers of Uxmal.—Of the Antiquity of Uxmal.
The next day was Sunday, which I passed in
making preparations for returning to Uxmal. I had,
however, some distraction. In the morning the
quiet of the village was a little disturbed by intelli¬
gence of a revolution in Tekax, a town nine leagues
distant. Our sojourn in the country had been so
quiet that it seemed unnatural, and a small revolution
was necessary to make me feel at home. The insur¬
gents had deposed the alcalde, appointed their own
authorities, and laid contributions upon the inhabi¬
tants, and the news was that they intended marching
three hundred men against Merida, to extort an ac¬
knowledgment of independence. Ticul lay in their
line of march, but as it was considered very uncertain
whether they would carry this doughty purpose into
execution, I determined not to change my plan.
Vol. I.—0 o 25
290
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Doctor Cabot’s presence in the village was, of
course, generally known, and though it was rather
prejudicial to his reputation as a medical man to be
ill himself, he did not fail to have patients. His
fame as a curer of biscos had reached this place,
but, fortunately for his quiet, there was only one
squinter among the inhabitants, though his was vio¬
lent enough for a whole village. In the afternoon
this man applied for relief. Doctor Cabot told
him that his hand was not yet steady enough to per¬
form the operation, and that I was going away the
next day; but this by no means satisfied him. It
happened, however, that a gentleman present, who
was consulting the doctor on some ailment of his
own, mentioned incidentally that one of the doctor’s
patients at Merida had lost the eye, though he add¬
ed that the loss was not ascribed to the operation,
but to subsequent bad treatment. This story, as we
afterward learned, was entirely without foundation,
but it had its effect upon the bisco, who rolled his
eye toward the door so violently that the rest of
him followed, and he never came near the doctor
again. His only operation that day was upon the
wife of the proprietor of San Francisco, whose head
he laid open, and took out a hideous wen.
I have mentioned the extraordinary stillness of
this place. Every night, however, since my arrival,
this stillness had been broken by the canting, sing¬
ing tones of a boy calling out the numbers of the
loteria. Preparations were making for a village fete
THE LOTERIA.
291
in February; the ground was already marked out
in front of the convent for the Plaza de Toros, and
the loteria was adopted as the means of raising
money to pay the expenses. I had not yet attend¬
ed, and on the last night of my stay in Ticul I de¬
termined to go. It was held in the corridor of the
audiencia, along which hung branches of palm
leaves to protect the lights. It was Sunday even¬
ing, and, consequently, the attendance was more
numerous than' usual. At the entrance sat the boy,
whose voice is even now ringing in my ears, rat¬
tling a bag of balls, drawing them out, and calling
off the numbers. Along the corridor was a rough
table with a row of candles in the centre, and
benches on each side were occupied by the villagers,
without distinction of persons, with papers and
grains of corn before them, the same as at Merida.
The largest sum called off was twenty-nine reals.
One real was deducted from every dollar for the
particular object of the lottery, and the fund which
the boy had obtained by such a potent use of his
voice then amounted to sixty-three dollars. There
were several performers giving out somewhat equiv¬
ocal music, without which nothing in that country
could go on long, and occasionally two reals were
drawn from the purse for them. All entered who
pleased. There was no regulation of dress or eti¬
quette, but much quiet courtesy of manner, and it was
regarded a mere converzatione, or place for passing
the evening. I remained about an hour. As
292
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
we crossed the plaza, the moon lighted up the ven¬
erable front of the convent, and for the last time I
slept within its walls.
The next morning I bade farewell to the cura,
with an understanding, that as soon as Doctor Ca¬
bot was able to return, the good padre would ac¬
company him to finish his interrupted visit to us at
Uxmal. My time at Ticul had not been lost. Be¬
sides exploring the ruins of San Francisco, I had re¬
ceived accounts of others from the cura, which prom¬
ised to add greatly to the interest of our expedition.
That I might take a passing view of one of these
places on my return to Uxmal, I determined to go
back by a different road, across the sierra, which
rises a short distance from the village of Ticul. The
ascent was steep, broken, and stony. The whole
range was a mass of limestone rock, with a few
stunted trees, but not enough to afford shade, and
white under the reflection of the sun. In an hour
I reached the top of the sierra. Looking back, iny
last view of the plain presented, high above every¬
thing else, the church and convent which I had left.
I was an hour crossing the sierra, and on the other
side my first view of the great plain took in the
church of Nohcacab, standing like a colossus in the
wilderness, the only token to indicate the presence
of man. Descending to the plain, I saw nothing
hut trees, until, when close upon the village, the
great church again rose before me, towering above
the houses, and the only object visible.
RUINS OF NOHPAT.-RETURN TO UXMAL.293
The village was under the pastoral charge of the
cura of Ticul, and in the suburbs I met his ministro
on horseback, waiting, according to the directions
of the former, to escort me to the ruins of Nohpat.
At a league’s distance we turned off from the main
road, and, following a narrow path leading to some
milpas, in fifteen minutes we saw towering before
us lofty but shattered buildings, the relics of another
ruined city. I saw at a glance that it would be
indispensable for Mr. Catherwood to visit them.
Nevertheless, I passed three hours on the ground,
toiling in the hot sun, and at four o’clock, with
strong apprehensions of another attack of fever, I
mounted to continue my journey.
A little before dark I emerged from the woods,
and saw Mr. Catherwood standing on the platform
of the Casa del Gobernador, the sole tenant of the
ruins of Uxmal. His Indians had finished their
day’s work, Bernaldo and Chaipa Chi had gone,
and since Doctor Cabot left he had slept alone in
our quarters. He had a feeling of security from the
tranquil state of the country, the harmless character
of the Indians, their superstitions in regard to the
ruins, and a spring pistol with a cord across the
door, which could not fail to bring down any one
who might attempt to enter at night.
It had happened most fortunately for our opera¬
tions that Mr. Catherwood had held out. Without
any resources or anything to occupy him except
work, he had accomplished an enormous deal, and
294
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
from being so much better provided with the com¬
forts of living than at any former time while explo¬
ring ruins, he had continued in good health and
spirits.
At dark the Indian arrived with my luggage,
sweating at every pore, having carried it twenty-one
miles, for which I paid him three shillings and six¬
pence. As he was going away we gave him a roll
of bread, and he asked by signs if he was to carry
it to the cura. Being made to comprehend that he
was to eat it himself, he sat down and commenced
immediately, having probably never eaten so much
bread before in his life. We then gave him half
a cup of Habanero, some plantains and a cigar, and,
as the dew was heavy, told him to sit by the fire.
When he had finished these we repeated the por¬
tion, and he seemed hardly to believe his good for¬
tune real, but he had an idea that he was well off,
and either from being a stranger, and free from the
apprehensions felt by the Indians of Uxmal, or else
from a fancy he had taken to us, he asked for a cos¬
tal, a piece of hemp bagging, to sleep upon. We
gave him one, and he lay down by the fire; for a
while he endeavoured to protect his naked body
against the moschetoes, and kept up a continued
slapping, lighter or heavier according to the aggra¬
vation, changed his position, and tried the back cor¬
ridor, but it was all in vain ; and, finally, with a sad
attempt at a smile, he asked for another drink of
Habanero and a cigar, and went away.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
295
On the twenty-fourth of December Doctor Cabot
returned from Ticul, bringing back with him Albino,
who was still in a rueful plight. Unfortunately, the
cura Carillo was unwell, and unable to accompany
him, but had promised to follow in a few days. On
Christmas eve we were all once more together, and
Christmas Day, in spite, of ourselves, was a holyday.
No Indians came out to work. Chaipa Chi, who had
moved regularly as the sun, for the first time failed.
We had, however, as visiters, a number of women
from the village of Moona. From the top of the
House of the Dwarf we saw them moving toward
that of the Nuns, and went down to receive them.
The only males who accompanied them were a lad
about fourteen attending his newly-married wife,
and the husband of the woman I had seen buried,
who either had not the spirit for joining in the fes¬
tivities at the hacienda, or was putting himself in
the way of repairing his loss.
Unable to do anything at the ruins, I walked down
to the hacienda to see one of our horses which had
a sore back. The hacienda was deserted, but the
sound of violins led me to the place where the In¬
dians were congregated. Preparations were ma¬
king on a large scale for the evening feast. The
place looked like a butcher’s shambles, for they had
cut up what had once composed eight turkeys, two
hogs, and I do not know how many fowls. The
women were all busy; Chaipa Chi was lady-patron¬
ess, and up to her elbows in tortillas.
296
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
I walked on to the campo santo, for the purpose
of carrying away two skulls which I had selected
and laid aside on the charnel pile at the time of the
funeral. I had taken some precautions, for the news
of the carrying off the bones from San Francisco
had created some excitement among the Indians all
over the country; and as I had to pass a long row of
huts, I had procured two calabazas, or gourds, for
drinking cups, which I carried in a pocket-hand¬
kerchief, and intended to throw away in the grave¬
yard, and substitute the skulls. On reaching the pile,
however, I found that other hands had been upon
it. The skulls I had selected had been displaced and
mingled with the others, so that I could not iden¬
tify them. I examined the whole heap, but could
recognise only the huge skull of an African and
that of the woman I had seen dug up. The latter
was the skull of a full-blooded Indian, but it had
been damaged by the crowbar ; besides, I had seen
all her bones and her very flesh taken piecemeal
out of the grave; I had heard so much of her that
she seemed an acquaintance, and I had some qualms
of conscience about carrying her skull away. In
fact, alone in the stillness and silence of the place,
something of a superstitious feeling came over
me about disturbing the bones of the dead and
robbing a graveyard. I should nevertheless, per¬
haps, have taken up two skulls at random, but, to
increase my wavering feeling, I saw two Indian
women peeping at me through the trees, and, not
WORK OF MR. WALDECK.
297
wishing to run the risk of creating a disturbance on
the hacienda, I left the graveyard with empty hands.
The majoral afterward told me that it was fortunate
I had done so, for that if I had carried any away, it
would have caused an excitement among the Indians,
and perhaps led to mischief.
The account of our residence at Uxmal is now
drawing to a close, and it is time to bring before the
reader the remainder of the ruins; but before doing
so I shall make one remark in regard to the work
of Mr. Waldeck, which was published in folio at
Paris in 1835, and, except my own hurried notice,
is the only account that has ever been published of
the ruins at Uxmal. I had this work with me on
our last visit. It will be found that our plans and
drawings differ materially from his, but Mr. Wal¬
deck was not an architectural draughtsman, and he
complains that his drawings were taken from him
by the Mexican government. I differ from him,
too, in the statement of some facts, and almost en¬
tirely in opinions and conclusions ; but these things
occur of course, and the next person who visits
these ruins will perhaps differ in many respects from
both of us. It is proper to say, moreover, that Mr.
Waldeck had much greater difficulties to encounter
than we, for at the time of his visit the ground had
not been cleared for a milpa, and the whole field
was overgrown with trees ; besides, he is justly en¬
titled to the full credit of being the first stranger
VOL. I.— P P
298
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
who visited these ruins, and brought them to the
notice of the public.
To return. I have already mentioned the Casa
del Gobernador and the Casa de las Tortugas, or
House of the Turtles, the latter of which stands on
the grand platform of the second terrace of the Casa
del Gobernador, at the northwest corner.
Descending from this building, and on a line with
the doorway of the Casa de las Monjas, going north,
at the distance of two hundred and forty feet are
two ruined edifices facing each other, and seventy
feet apart, as laid down on the general plan of the
ruins. Each is one hundred and twenty-eight feet
long, and thirty feet deep, and, so far as they can be
made out, they appear to have been exactly alike in
plan and ornament. The sides facing each other
were embellished with sculpture, and there remain
on both the fragments of entwined colossal serpents,
which ran the whole length of the walls.
In the centre of each facade, at points directly
opposite each other, are the fragments of a great
stone ring. Each of these rings was four feet in
diameter, and secured in the wall by a stone tenon
of corresponding dimensions. They appear to have
:een broken wilfully; of each, the part nearest the
em still projects from the wall, and the outer sur-
iace is covered with sculptured characters. We
made excavations among the ruins along the base of
the walls, in hope of discovering the missing parts
of these rings, but without success.
These structures have no doorways or openings
HOUSE OF THE NUNS.
299
ot any kind, either on the sictes or at the ends. In
the belief that they must have interior chambers, we
made a breach in the wall of the one on the east to
the depth of eight or ten feet, but we found only
rough stones, hanging so loosely together as to make
it dangerous for the Indians to work in the holes,
and they were obliged to discontinue.
This excavation, however, carried us through
nearly one third of the structure, and satisfied us
that these great parallel edifices did not contain any
interior apartments, but that each consisted merely
of four great walls, filled up with a solid mass of
stones. It was our opinion that they had been built
expressly with reference to the two great rings fa¬
cing each other in the facades, and that the space
between was intended for the celebration of some
public games, in which opinion we were afterward
confirmed.
Passing between these buildings, and continuing
in the same direction, we reach the front of the
Casa de las Monjas, or House of the Nuns.
This building is quadrangular, with a courtyard in
the centre. It stands on the highest of three ter¬
races. The lowest is three feet high and twenty
feet wide; the second, twelve feet high and forty-
five feet wide; and the third, four feet high and five
feet wide, extending the whole length of the front
of the building.
The front is two hundred and seventy-nine feet
long, and above the cornice, from one end to the
300
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
other, it is ornamented With sculpture. In the cen¬
tre is a gateway ten feet eight inches wide, spanned
by the triangular arch, and leading to the courtyard.
On each side of this gateway are four doorways
with wooden lintels, opening to apartments avera¬
ging twenty-four feet long, ten feet wide, and seven¬
teen feet high to the top of the arch, but having no
communication with each other.
The building that forms the right or eastern side
of the quadrangle is one hundred and fifty-eight feet
long; that on the left is one hundred and seventy-
three feet long, and the range opposite or at the end
of the quadrangle measures two hundred and sixty-
four feet.
These three ranges of buildings have no door¬
ways outside, but the exterior of each is a dead
wall, and above the cornice all are ornamented
with the same rich and elaborate sculpture. On
the exterior of the range last mentioned, the designs
are simple, and among them are two rude, naked
figures, which have been considered as indicating
the existence of that same Eastern worship before
referred to among the people of Uxmal.
Such is the exterior of this building. Passing
through the arched gateway, we enter a noble court¬
yard, with four great facades looking down upon it,
each ornamented from one end to the other with
the richest and most intricate carving known in the
art of the builders of Uxmal; presenting a scene
of strange magnificence, surpassing any that is now
THE COURTYARD.
301
Plan of the Courtyard.
to be seen among its ruins. This courtyard is two
hundred and fourteen feet wide, and two hundred
and fifty-eight feet deep. At the time of our first
entrance it was overgrown with bushes and grass,
quails started up from under our feet, and, with a
whirring flight, passed over the tops of the build¬
ings. Whenever we went to it, we started flocks
of these birds, and throughout the whole of our
residence at Uxmal they were the only disturbers
of its silence and desolation.
26
302
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Among my many causes of regret for the small
scale on which I am obliged to present these draw¬
ings, none is stronger than the consequent inability
to present, with all their detail of ornament, the
four great facades fronting this courtyard. There
is but one alleviating circumstance; which is, that
the side most richly ornamented is so ruined that,
under any circumstances, it could not be presented
entire.
This fa9ade is on the left of the visiter entering
the courtyard. It is one hundred and seventy-three
feet long, and is distinguished by two colossal ser¬
pents entwined, running through and encompassing
nearly all the ornaments throughout its whole length.
The two plates which follow represent the only
parts remaining.
The first exhibits that portion of the facade to¬
ward the north end of the building. The tail of
one serpent is held up nearly over the head of the
other, and has an ornament upon it like a turban,
with a plume of feathers. The marks on the ex¬
tremity of the tail are probably intended to indicate a
rattlesnake, with which species of serpent the coun¬
try abounds. The lower serpent has its monstrous
jaws wide open, and within them is a human head,
the face of which is distinctly visible on the stone,
and appears faintly in the drawing. From the ruin
to which all was hurrying, Don Simon cared only
to preserve this serpent’s head. He said that we
might tear and out carry away every other ornament,
A RICH FACADE.
303
but this he intended to build into the wall of a house
in Merida as a memorial of Uxmal.
The second engraving represents the two entwi¬
ned serpents enclosing and running through the or¬
naments over a doorway. The principal feature in
the ornament enclosed is the figure of a human be¬
ing, standing, but much mutilated. The bodies of
the serpents, according to the representations of the
same design in other parts of the sculpture, are
covered with feathers.
The two engravings represent about one fifth of
the whole facade ; the other four fifths were en¬
riched with the same mass of sculptured ornaments,
and toward the south end the head and tail of the
serpents corresponded in design and position with
the portion still existing at the other. Had it been
our fortune to reach this place a few years sooner,
we might have seen the whole entire. Don Simon
told us that in 1835 the whole front stood, and the
two serpents were seen encircling every ornament
in the building. In its ruins it presents a lively idea
of the “ large and very well constructed buildings
of lime and stone” which Bernal Dias saw on land¬
ing at Campeachy, “ with figures of serpents and of
idols painted on the walls.”
At the end of the courtyard, and fronting the
gate of entrance, is the facade of a lofty building,
two hundred and sixty-four feet long, standing on a
terrace twenty feet high. The ascent is by a grand
but ruined staircase, ninety-five feet wide, flanked
304
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
on each side by a building with sculptured front,
and having three doorways, each leading to apart¬
ments within.
The height of this building to the upper cornice
is twenty-five feet. It has thirteen doorways, over
each of which rose a perpendicular wall ten feet
wide and seventeen feet high above the cornice,
making the whole height forty-two feet from the
ground. These lofty structures were no doubt
erected to give grandeur and effect to the building,
and at a distance they appear to he turrets, but only
four of them now remain. The whole great facade,
including the turrets, is crowded with complicated
and elaborate sculpture, among which are human
figures rudely executed: two are represented as
playing on musical instruments, one being not un¬
like a small harp, and the other in the nature of a
guitar ; a third is in a sitting posture, with his
hands across his breast, and tied by cords, the ends
of which pass over his shoulders. Of the rest there
is nothing which stands out distinct and intelligible
like the serpent, and the whole, loaded as it is with
ornament, conveys the idea of vastness and magnifi¬
cence rather than that of taste and refinement.
This building has one curious feature. It is
erected over, and completely encloses, a smaller one
of older date. The doorways, walls, and wooden
lintels of the latter are all seen, and where the outer
building is fallen, the ornamented cornice of the
inner one is visible.
A GRAND VIEW.
305
From the platform of the steps of this building,
looking across the courtyard, a grand view presents
itself, embracing all the principal buildings that now
tower above the plain, except the House of the
Dwarf. The engraving opposite represents this
view. In the foreground is the inner facade of the
front range of the Monjas, with a portion of the
range on each side of the courtyard. To the left,
in the distance, appears the Casa de la Vieja, or of
the Old Woman, and, rising grandly above the front
of the Monjas, are the House of the Turtles, that
of the Governor, and the Casa de Palomos, or the
House of the Pigeons.
The last of the four sides of the courtyard, stand¬
ing on the right of the entrance, is represented in the
vol. l— a a
306
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
plate opposite. It is the most entire of any, and,
in fact, wants but little more than its wooden lin¬
tels, and some stones which have been picked out
of the facade below the cornice, to make it perfect.
It is, too, the most chaste and simple in design and
ornament, and it was always refreshing to turn from
the gorgeous and elaborate masses on the other fa¬
cades to this curious and pleasing combination.
The ornament over the centre doorway is the
most important, the most complicated and elaborate,
and of that marked and peculiar style which char¬
acterizes the highest efforts of these ancient build¬
ers. The ornaments over the other doorways are
less striking, more simple, and more pleasing. In
all of them there is in the centre a masked face
with the tongue hanging out, surmounted by an
elaborate headdress; between the horizontal bars is
a range of diamond-shaped ornaments, in which the
remains of red paint are still distinctly visible, and
at each end of these bars is a serpent’s head, with
the mouth wide open.
Omvb-reclp
Voll.Page'3
SOUTH EAST ANGLE OF MONJAS.UXKAL
PAINTED FACADES.
307
The engraving opposite represents the southeast
comer of this building. The angle exhibits the
great face before presented, with the stone curving
upward at the projecting end. On each side is a
succession of compartments, alternately plain, and
presenting the form of diamond lattice-work. In
both there is an agreeable succession of plain and
ornamented, and, in fact, it would be difficult, in
arranging four sides facing a courtyard, to have
more variety, and at the same time more harmony
of ornament. All these facades were painted ; the
traces of the colour are still visible, and the reader
may imagine what the effect must have been when
all this building was entire, and according to its
supposed design, in its now desolate doorways
stood noble Maya maidens, like the vestal virgins
of the Romans, to cherish and keep alive the sa¬
cred fire burning in the temples.
I omit a description of the apartments opening
upon this courtyard. We made plans of all of them,
but they are generally much alike, except in the di¬
mensions. The number in all is eighty-eight.
In the range last presented, however, there is one
suite different from all the rest. The entrance to
this suite is by the centre and principal doorway,
308
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
and the engraving opposite represents the interior.
It consists of two parallel chambers, each thirty-
three feet long and thirteen wide; and at each end
of both chambers is a doorway communicating with
other chambers nine feet long and thirteen wide.
The doorways of all these are ornamented with
sculpture, and they are the only ornaments found in
the interior of any buildings in Uxmal. The whole
suite consists of six rooms; and there is a conve¬
nience in the arragements not unsuited to the habits
of what we call civilized life; opening as they do
upon this noble courtyard, in the dry season, with
nothing to apprehend from vegetation and damp,
they would be by far the most comfortable residence
for any future explorer of the ruins of Uxmal; and
every time I went to them I regretted that we could
not avail ourselves of the facilities they offered.
With these few words I take leave of the Casa
de las Monjas, remarking only that in the centre is
the fragment of a large stone like that on the terrace
of the Casa del Gobemador, called the Picote, and
also that, induced by the account of Waldeck that
the whole was once paved with sculptured turtles,
I passed a morning digging all over the courtyard
below the slight accumulation of earth, and found
nothing of the kind. The substratum consisted
of rude stones, no doubt once serving as a founda¬
tion for a floor of cement, which, from long expo¬
sure to the rainy seasons, has now entirely disap¬
peared.
To face page 308, vol. I.
HOUSE OF THE BIRDS.
311
At the back of the last-mentioned range of the
Monjas is another, or rather there are several ranges
of buildings, standing lower than the House of the
Nuns, in irregular order, and much ruined.
To the first portion of these we gave the name of
the House of the Birds, from the circumstance of its
being ornamented on the exterior with representa¬
tions of feathers and birds rudely sculptured. The
312
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
preceding engraving represents a part of these or¬
naments.
The remaining portion consists of some very large
rooms, among which are two fifty-three feet long,
fourteen wide, and about twenty high, being the
largest, or at least the widest in Uxmal. In one of
them are the remains of painting well preserved, and
in the other is an arch, which approaches nearer to
the principle of the keystone than any we had yet
met with in our whole exploration of ruins. It is
very similar to the earliest arches, if they may be so
called, of the Etruscans and Greeks, as seen at Arpino
in the kingdom of Naples, and Tiryns in Greece.
(See engravings in the Appendix.)
From this range of buildings we descend to the
House of the Dwarf, also known by the name of la
Casa del Adivino, or the House of the Diviner, from
its overlooking the whole city, and enabling its occu¬
pant to be cognizant of all that was passing around
him.
The courtyard of this building is one hundred
and thirty-five feet by eighty-five. It is bounded by
ranges of mounds from twenty-five to thirty feet
thick, now covered with a rank growth of herbage,
but which, perhaps, once formed ranges of buildings.
In the centre is a large circular stone, like those seen
in the other courtyards, called the Picote.
The plate opposite represents the west front of
this building, with the mound on which it stands.
The base is so ruined and encumbered with fallen
HOUSE OF THE DWARF.
313
stones that it is difficult to ascertain its precise di¬
mensions, but, according to our measurement, it is
two hundred and thirty-five feet long, and one hun¬
dred and fifty-five wide. Its height is eighty-eight
feet, and to the top of the building it is one hundred
and five feet. Though diminishing as it rises, its
shape is not exactly pyramidal, but its ends are
rounded. It is encased with stone, and apparently
solid from the plain.
A great part of the front presented in the engra¬
ving has fallen, and now lies a mass of ruins at the
foot of the mound. Along the base, or rather about
twenty feet up the mound, and probably once reach¬
ed by a staircase, now ruined, is a range of curious
apartments, nearly choked up with rubbish, and with
the sapote beams still in their places over the door.
At the height of sixty feet is a solid projecting
platform, on which stands a building loaded with
ornaments more rich, elaborate, and carefully exe¬
cuted, than those of any other edifice in Uxmal. A
great doorway opens upon the platform. The sa¬
pote beams are still in their places, and the interior
is divided into two apartments; the outer one fif¬
teen feet wide, seven feet deep, and nineteen feet
high, and the inner one twelve feet wide, four feet
deep, and eleven feet high. Both are entirely plain,
without ornament of any kind, and have no com¬
munication with any part of the mound.
The steps or other means of communication with
this building are all gone, and at the time of our
Vol. I. — R R 27
314
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
visit we were at a loss to know how it had been
reached; but, from what we saw afterward, we are
induced to believe that a grand staircase upon a dif¬
ferent plan from any yet met with, and supported
by a triangular arch, led from the ground to the door
of the building, which, if still in existence, would
give extraordinary grandeur to this great mound.
The crowning structure is a long and narrow
building, measuring seventy-two feet in front, and
but twelve feet deep.
The front is much ruined, but even in its decay
presents the most elegant and tasteful arrangement
of ornaments to be seen in Uxmal, of which no idea
could be given in any but a large engraving. The
emblems of life and death appear on the wall in
close juxta-position, confirming the belief in the
existence of that worship practised by the Egyp¬
tians and all other Eastern nations, and before re¬
ferred to as prevalent among the people of Uxmal.
The interior is divided into three apartments, that
in the centre being twenty-four feet by seven, and
those on each side nineteen feet by seven. They
have no communication with each other; two have
their doors opening to the east and one to the west.
A narrow platform five feet wide projects from all
the four sides of the building. The northern end is
decayed, and part of the eastern front, and to this
front ascends a grand staircase one hundred and
two feet high, seventy feet wide, and containing
ninety steps.
»
HUMAN SACRIFICES.
317
The engraving opposite represents this front.
The steps are very narrow, and the staircase steep;
and after we had cleared away the trees, and there
were no branches to assist us in climbing, the as¬
cent and descent were difficult and dangerous.
The padre Cogolludo, the historian referred to,
says that he once ascended these steps, and “ that
when he attempted to descend he repented; his
sight failed him, and he was in some danger.” He
adds, that in the apartments of the building, which
he calls “ small chapels,” were the “ idols,” and that
there they made sacrifices of men, women, and chil¬
dren. Beyond doubt this lofty building was a great
Teocalis, “El grande de los Kues,” the great tem¬
ple of idols worshipped by the people of Uxmal,
consecrated by their most mysterious rites, the holi¬
est of their holy places. “ The High Priest had in
his Hand a large, broad, and sharp Knife made of
Flint. Another Priest carried a wooden collar
wrought like a snake. The persons to be sacrificed
were conducted one by one up the Steps, stark na¬
ked, and as soon as laid on the Stone, had the Col¬
lar put upon their Necks, and the four priests took
hold of the hands and feet. Then the high Priest
with wonderful Dexterity ripped up the Breast, tore
out the Heart, reeking, with his Hands, and showed
it to the Sun, offering him the Heart and Steam
that came from it. Thdh he turned to the Idol,
and threw it in his face, which done, he kicked the
body down the steps, and it never stopped till it
318
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
came to the bottom, because they were very up¬
right and “ one who had been a Priest, and had
been converted, said that when they tore out the
Heart of the wretched Person sacrificed, it did beat
so strongly that he took it up from the Ground three
or four times till it cooled by Degrees, and then he
threw the Body, still moving, down the Steps.” In
all the long catalogue of superstitious rites that dar¬
kens the page of man’s history, I cannot imagine a
picture more horribly exciting than that of the In¬
dian priest, with his white dress and long hair clotted
with gore, performing his murderous sacrifices at this
lofty height, in full view of the people throughout
the whole extent of the city.
From the top of this mound we pass over the Casa
del Gobernador to the grand structure marked on the
general plan as the Casa de Palomos, or the House
of the Pigeons, the front of which is represented in
the engraving opposite. It is two hundred and
forty feet long; the front is much ruined, the apart¬
ments are filled, and along the centre of the roof,
running longitudinally, is a range of structures built
in a pyramidal form, like the fronts of some of the
old Dutch houses that still remain among us, but
grander and more massive. These are nine in
number, built of stone, about three feet thick, and
have small oblong openings through them. These
openings give them soiHewhat the appearance of
pigeon-houses, and from this the name of the build¬
ing is derived. All had once been covered with
HOUSE OF THE PIGEONS.
319
figures and ornaments in stucco, portions of which
still remain. The view presented is in profile, as
the full front could not be exhibited on this scale.
In the centre of this building is an archway ten feet
wide, which leads into a courtyard one hundred and
eighty feet long and one hundred and fifty feet deep.
In the centre of the courtyard, and thrown down, is the
same large stone so often mentioned. On the right
is a range of ruined buildings, on the left a similar
range, and rising behind it the high mound repre¬
sented in the frontispiece; and in front, at the end
of the courtyard, is a range of ruined buildings, with
another archway in the centre. Crossing the court¬
yard, and passing through this archway, we ascend
a flight of steps, now ruined, and reach another
courtyard, one hundred feet long by eighty-five
deep. On each side of this courtyard, too, is a
range of ruined buildings, and at the other end is a
great Teocalis, two hundred feet in length, one
hundred and twenty deep, and about fifty feet high.
A broad staircase leads to the top, on which stands
a long narrow building, one hundred feet by twenty,
divided into three apartments.
There was a mournful interest about this great
pile of ruins. Entering under the great archway,
crossing two noble courtyards, with ruined buildings
on each side, and ascending the great staircase to
the building on the top, gave a stronger impression
of departed greatness than anything else in this des¬
olate city. It commanded a view of every other
320
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
building, and stood apart in lonely grandeur, seldom
disturbed by human footsteps. On going up to it
once Mr. Catherwood started a deer, and at another
time a wild hog.
At the northeast angle of this building is a vast
range of high, ruined terraces, facing east and west,
nearly eight hundred feet long at the base, and call¬
ed the Campo Santo. On one of these is a build¬
ing of two stories, with some remains of sculpture,
and in a deep and overgrown valley at the foot, the
Indians say, was the burial-place of this ancient
city; but, though searching for it ourselves, and of¬
fering a reward to them for the discovery, we never
found in it a sepulchre.
Besides these there was the Casa de la Vieja, or
the House of the Old Woman, standing in ruins.
Once, when the wind was high, I saw the remains
of the front wall bending before its force. It is four
or five hundred feet from the Casa del Gobernador,
and has its name from a mutilated statue of an old
woman lying before it.
Near by are other monuments lying on the
ground, overgrown and half buried (referred to in
the Appendix), which were pointed out to us by
the Indians on our first visit. North of this
there is a circular mound of ruins, probably of a
circular building like that of Mayapan. A wall
which was said to encompass the city is laid down
on the plan so far as it can be traced; and beyond
this, for a great distance in every direction, the
CLOSE OF DESCRIPTION.
321
ground is strewed with ruins; but with this brief
description I close. I might extend it indefinitely,
but I have compressed it within the smallest possi¬
ble limits. We made plans of every building and
drawings of every sculptured stone, and this place
alone might furnish materials for larger volumes
than these; but I have so many and such vast re¬
mains to present that I am obliged to avoid details
as much as possible. These it is my hope at some
future day to present with a minuteness that shall
satisfy the most craving antiquary, but I trust that
what I have done will give the reader some definite
idea of the ruins of Uxmal. Perhaps, as we did, he
will imagine the scene that must have been pre¬
sented when all these buildings were entire, occu¬
pied by people in costumes strange and fanciful as
the ornaments on their buildings, and possessing all
those minor arts which must have been coexistent
with architecture and sculpture, and which the im¬
perishable stone has survived.
The historic light which beamed upon us at Mer¬
ida and Mayapan does not reach this place; it is
not mentioned in any record of the conquest. The
cloud again gathers, but even through it a star ap¬
pears.
The padre Cogolludo says, that on the memora¬
ble occasion when his sight failed as he was going
down the steps of the great Teocalis, he found in
one of the apartments, or, as he calls it, one of the
chapels, offerings of cacao and marks of copal, used
Vol. I.—S s
322
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
by the Indians as incense, burned there but a short
time before ; an evidence, he says, of some supersti¬
tion or idolatry recently committed by the Indians
of that place. He piously adds, “ God help those
poor Indians, for the devil deceives them very ea¬
sily ”
While in Merida I procured from Don Simon
Peon the title papers to this estate. They were
truly a formidable pile, compared with which the
papers in a protracted chancery or ejectment suit
would seem a billet-doux, and, unfortunately, a great
portion of them was in the Maya language; but
there was one folio volume in Spanish, and in this
was the first formal conveyance ever made of these
lands by the Spanish government. It bears date the
twelfth day of May, 1673, and is entitled a testimo¬
nial of royal favour made to the Regidor Don Lo¬
renzo de Evia, of four leagues of land (desde los
edificios de Uxmal) from the buildings of TJxinal to
the south, one to the east, another to the west, and
another to the north, for his distinguished merits
and services therein expressed. The preamble sets
forth that the Regidor Don Lorenzo de Evia, by a
writing that he presented to his majesty, made a nar¬
rative showing that at sixteen leagues from Meri¬
da, and three from the sierra of the village of Ticul,
were certain meadows and places named Uxmal-
checaxek, Tzemchan-Cemin-Curea-Kusultzac, Ex-
muue-Hixmon-nec, uncultivated and belonging to
the crown, which the Indians could not profit by
\
TITLE PAPERS OP UXMAL
323
for tillage and sowing, and which could only serve
for horned cattle ; that the said regidor had a wife
and children whom it was necessary for him to
maintain for the service of the king in a manner
conforming to his office, and that he wished to stock
the said places and meadows with homed cattle,
and praying a grant of them for that purpose in the
name of his majesty, since no injury could result to
any third person, but, “ on the contrary, very great
service to God our Lord, because icith that establish¬
ment it would prevent the Indians in those places
from worshipping the devil in the ancient buildings
tohich are there, having in them their idols, to which
they burn copal, and performing other detestable sac¬
rifices, as they are doing every day notoriously and
publicly
Following this is a later instrument, dated the
third of December, 1687, the preamble of which
recites the petition of the Captain Lorenzo de Evia,
setting forth the grant above inferred to, and that an
Indian named Juan Can bad importuned him with
a claim of right to the said lands on account of his
being a descendant of the ancient Indians, to whom
they belonged; that the Indian had exhibited some
confused papers and maps, and that, although it was
not possible for him to justify the right that he claim¬
ed, to avoid litigation, he, the said Don Lorenzo de
Evia, agreed to give him seventy-four dollars for the
price and value of the said land. The petition in¬
troduces the deed of consent, or quit-claim, of Juan
324
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Can, executed with all the formalities required in
the case of Indians (the original of which appears
among the other title papers), and prays a confirma¬
tion of his former grant, and to be put in real and
corporeal possession. The instrument confirms the
former grant, and prescribes the formal mo r1 e of ob¬
taining possession.
Under the deed of confirmation appears the aeed
of livery of seisin, beginning, “ In the place called
the edifices of Uxmal and its lands, the third day
of the month of January, 1688,” &c., &c., and con¬
cluding with these words : “ In virtue of the power
and authority which by the same title is given to
me by the said governor, complying with its terms,
I took by the hand the said Lorenzo de Evia, and
he walked with me all over Uxmal and its buildings,
opened and shut some doors that had several rooms,
cut within the space some trees, picked up fallen
stones and threw them down, drew water from one
of the aguadas of the said place of Uxmal, and per¬
formed other acts of possession.”
The reader will perceive that we have here two
distinct, independent witnesses testifying that, one
hundred and forty years after the foundation of
Merida, the buildings of Uxmal were regarded with
reverence by the Indians ; that they formed the nu¬
cleus of a dispersed and scattered population, and
were resorted to for the observance of religious rites
at a distance from the eyes of the Spaniards. Co-
golludo saw in the House of the Dwarf the “ marks
OF THE ANTIQUITY OF UXMAL. 325
of copal recently burned,” “ the evidence of some
idolatry recently committedand the private title
papers of Don Simon, never intended to illustrate
any point in history, besides showing incidentally
that it was the policy of the government, and “ do¬
ing God service,” to break up the Indian customs,
and drive the natives away from their consecrated
buildings, are proofs, which would be good evidence
in a court of law, that the Indians were, at the time
referred to, openly and notoriously worshipping El
Demonio, and performing other detestable sacrifices
in these ancient buildings. Can it be supposed that
edifices in which they were thus worshipping, and
to which they were clinging with such tenacity as
to require to be driven away, were the buildings of
another race, or did they cling to them because
they were adapted to the forms and ceremonies
received from their fathers, and because they were
the same in which their fathers had worshipped 1
In my mind there is but little question as to the
fair interpretation to be put upon these acts, and I
may add that, according to the deed of the notary,
but one hundred and fifty-four years ago the ruined
buildings of Uxmal had “ doors” which could be
“ opened” and “ shut.”
28
*
326
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
CHAPTER XV.
Attacks from Fever and Ague.—Final Departure from Uxmal.—
Newyear’s Day. — Fate of Chaipa Chi. — Painful Journey. —
Chetulish.— Arrival at Nohcacab.— Concourse of Indians.— A
Casa Real.—Plaza.—Improvements.—The Church.—A Noria,
or Well.—Municipal Elections.—The Democratic Principle.—
Installation of Alcaldes.—Illness of the Cura of Ticul.—Set out
for Ticul.—Intoxicated Carriers.—Accident.—Arrival at Ticul.
—A wandering Physician.—Changed Appearance of the Cura.
—Return to Nohcacab.—Take up Quarters in the Convent. —
A ncient Town of Nohcacab.—Ruined Mounds.—Ruins of Xcoch.
—A Mysterious Well.—Fine Grove.—Circular Cavity.—Mouth
of the Well.—Exploration of its Passages.—Uses of the Well.
—Return to the Village.—Fatal Accident.—A House of Mourn¬
ing.—Ceremony of El Velorio.
The reader, perhaps, is now anxious to hurry
away from Uxmal, but he cannot be more anxious
to do so than we were. We had finished our work,
had resolved on the day for our departure, and had
determined to devote the intermediate time to getting
out of the wall and collecting together some orna¬
ments for removal, and, having got the Indians
fairly at work, we set about making some farewell
Daguerreotype views. While working the camera
under a blazing sun in the courtyard of the Monjas,
I received a note from Mr. Catherwood advising
me that his time had come, that he had a chill,
and was then in bed. Presently a heavy rain came
down, from which I took refuge in a damp apart¬
ment, where I was obliged to remain so long that I
became perfectly chilled. On my return, I had a
FINAL DEPARTURE FROM UXMAL. 327
severe relapse, and in the evening Dr. Cabot, de¬
pressed by the state of things, and out of pure sym¬
pathy, joined us. Our servants went away, we
were all three pinned to our beds together, and de¬
termined forthwith to leave Uxmal.
The next day it rained again, and we passed the
hours in packing up, always a disagreeable opera¬
tion, and then painfully so. The next day we de¬
parted, perhaps forever, from the Casa del Gober-
nador.
As we descended the steps, Mr. C. suggested
that it was Newyear’s day. It was the first time
this fact had presented itself; it called up scenes
strikingly contrasted with our own miserable con¬
dition, and for the moment we would have been
glad to be at home. Our coches were in readiness
at the foot of the terrace, and we crawled in; the
Indians raised us upon their shoulders, and we were
in motion from Uxmal. There was no danger of
our incurring the penalty of Lot’s wife; we never
looked back; all the interest we had felt in the
place was gone, and we only wanted to get away.
Silent and desolate as we found them, we left the
ruins of Uxmal, again to be overgrown with trees,
to crumble and fall, and perhaps, in a few gener¬
ations, to become, like others scattered over the
country, mere shapeless and nameless mounds.
Our housekeeping and household were again
broken up. Albino and Bernaldo followed us, and
as we passed along the edge of the milpa, half hid-
328
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
den among the cornstalks was the stately figure of
Chaipa Chi. She seemed to be regarding us with
a mournful gaze. Alas! poor Chaipa Chi, the
white man’s friend! never again will she make tor¬
tillas for the Ingleses in Uxmal! A month after¬
ward she was borne to the campo santo of the ha¬
cienda. The sun and rain are beating upon her
grave. Her bones will soon bleach pn the rude
charnel pile, and her skull may perhaps one day, by
the hands of some unscrupulous traveller, be con¬
veyed to Doctor S. G. Morton of Philadelphia.
Our departure from Uxmal was such a complete
rout, that it really had in it something of the ludi¬
crous, but we were not in condition to enjoy it at
the time. Notwithstanding the comparatively easy
movement of the coche, both Mr. C. and I suffered
excessively, for, being made of poles hastily tied to¬
gether, the vehicle yielded under the irregular steps
of the carriers. At the distance of two leagues they
laid us down under a large seybo tree, opposite the
hacienda of Chetulish, part of the domain of Uxmal.
As if in mockery of us, the Indians were all out of
doors in holyday dresses, celebrating the opening
of the new year. We remained a short time for
our carriers to rest, and in two hours we reached
the village of Nohcacab, and were laid down at the
door of the casa real. When we crawled out, the
miserable Indians who had borne us on their shoul¬
ders were happy compared with us.
The arrival of three Ingleses was an event with-
VILLAGE OF NOHCACAB.
329
out precedent in the history of the village. There
was a general curiosity to see us, increased by
knowledge of the extraordinary and unaccountable
purpose for which we were visiting the country.
The circumstance of its being a fete day had drawn
together into the plaza all the people of the village,
and an unusual concourse of Indians from the sub¬
urbs, most of whom gathered round our door, and
those who dared came inside to gaze upon us as we
lay in our hammocks. These adventurous persons
were only such as were particularly intoxicated,
which number, however, included on that day a
large portion of the respectable community of Noh-
cacab. They seemed to have just enough of rea¬
son left, or rather of instinct, to know that they
might offend by intruding upon white men, and
made up for it by exceeding submissiveness of man¬
ner and good nature.
We were at first excessively annoyed by the
number of visiters and the noise of the Indians with¬
out, who kept up a continued beating on the tun-
kul, or Indian drum; but by degrees our pains left
us, and, with the comfortable reflection that we had
escaped from the pernicious atmosphere of Uxmal,
toward evening we were again on our feet.
The casa real is the public building in every vil¬
lage, provided by the royal government for the au-
dienzia and other public offices, and, like the cabil-
do of Central America, is intended to contain apart¬
ments for travellers. In the village of Nohcacab,
Vol. I.— T T
l
I
330 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
' however, the arrival of strangers was so rare an oc¬
currence that no apartment was assigned expressly
for their accommodation. That given to us was
the principal room of the building, used for the great
occasions of the village, and during the week it was
occupied as a public schoolroom; but, fortunately
for us, being Newyear’s Day, the boys had holy-
day.
It was about forty feet long and twenty-five wide.
The furniture consisted of a very high table and
some very low chairs, and in honour of the day the
doors were trimmed with branches of cocoanut tree.
The walls were whitewashed, and at one end was
an eagle holding in his beak a coiled serpent, tear¬
ing it also with his claws. Under this were some ■
indescribable figures, and a sword, gun, and can¬
non, altogether warlike emblems for the peaceful vil¬
lage which had never heard the sound of hostile
trumpet. On one side of the eagle’s beak was a
scroll with the words “ Sala Consistorial Republi-
cana, Afio 1828.” The other had contained the
words “ El Systema Central,” but on the triumph
of the Federal party the brush had been drawn over
it, and nothing was substituted in its place, so that
it was all ready to be restored in case the Central
party returned to power. On the wall hung a pa¬
per containing a “ notice to the public” in Spanish
and the Maya language, that his Excellency the
Governor of the State had allowed to this village
the establishment of a school of first letters for
I IMPROVEMENT.
»
*
331
teaching children to read, write, count, and the doc¬
trines of the holy Catholic religion; that fathers
and other heads of families should send their chil¬
dren to it, and that, being endowed by the public
funds, it should not cost a medio real to any one.
It was addressed to vecinos, or white people, indi-
genos, or Indians, and other classes, meaning Mes¬
tizoes.
On one side of this principal room was the quar-
tel, with the garrison, which consisted of seven sol¬
diers, militia, three or four of whom were down with
fever and ague. On the other was the prison with
its grated door, and one gentleman in misfortune
looking through the grating.
This building occupied all one side of the plaza.
The village was the only one I had seen that gave
any indications of “ improvementand certainly I
had not seen any that needed it more. The plaza
was the poorest in appearance, and at that time was
worse than usual. It had been laid out on a hill¬
side, and the improvement then going on was ma¬
king it level. There was a great pile of earth
thrown up in the centre, and the houses on one side
had their foundations laid bare, so that they could
only be entered by means of ladders ; and it was
satisfactory to learn that the alcaldes who had plan¬
ned the improvement had got themselves into as
much trouble as our aldermen sometimes do in lay¬
ing out new streets.
From the door of the casa real two striking ob-
332
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
jects were in sight, one of which, grand in propor¬
tions and loftily situated, was the great church I had
seen from the top of the sierra in coming from Ti-
cul; the other was the noria, or well. This was an
oblong enclosure with high stone walls, and a roof
of palm leaves at one end, under which a mule was
going round continually with a beam, drawing water
into a large oblong basin cemented, from which the
women of the village were filling their water-jars.
In our stroll out of doors our Indian carriers es¬
pied us, and came staggering toward us in a body,
giving us to understand that they were overjoyed at
seeing us, and congratulating us upon our recovery.
They had not had a fair start with the Indians
of the village, but they had been expeditious, and, by
making good use of their time and the money we
paid them, were as thoroughly intoxicated as the
best in Nohcacab. Still they were good-natured as
children, and, as usual, each one concluded his lit¬
tle speech with begging a medio.
The North American Indian is by drinking made
insolent, ferocious, and brutal, and with a knife in
his hand he is always a dangerous character; but
the Indians of Yucatan when intoxicated are onlv
more docile and submissive. All wear machetes,
but they never use them to do harm.
We endeavoured to persuade our bearers to re¬
turn to the hacienda before their money was all
spent, and at length, giving us to understand that it
was in obedience to us, they went away. We
CONTESTED ELECTION.
333
watched them as they reeled down the road, which
they seemed to find hardly wide enough for one
abreast, turning to look back and make us another
reverence, and at length, when out of our reach,
they all stopped, sat down in the road, and again
took to their bottles.
We had arrived at Nohcacab at an interesting
and exciting moment. The village had just gone
through the agony of a contested election. During
the administration of the last alcalde, various impor¬
tant causes, among which were the improvements in
the plaza, had roused the feelings of the whole
community, and a strong notion prevailed, particu¬
larly among the aspirants to office, that the republic
was in danger unless the alcaldes were changed.
This feeling extended through all classes, and,
,through the interposition of Providence, as it was
considered by the successful party, the alcaldes were
changed, and the republic saved.
The municipal elections of Nohcacab are, per¬
haps, more important than those of any other village
in the state. The reader is aware of the great
scarcity of water in Yucatan ; that there are no
rivers, streams, or fountains, and, except in the
neighbourhood of aguadas, no water but what is
obtained from wells. Nohcacab has three public
wells, and it has a population of about six thousand
entirely dependant upon them. Two of these wells
are called norias, being larger and more considera¬
ble structures, in which the water is drawn by
334
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
mules, and the third is simply a poso, or well, hav¬
ing merely a cross-beam over the mouth, at which
each comer draws with his own bucket and rope.
For leagues around there is no water except that
furnished by these wells. All the Indians have
their huts or places of residence in the village, with¬
in reach of the wells; and when they go to work
on their milpas, which are sometimes several miles
distant, they are obliged to carry a supply with
them. Every woman who goes to the noria for a
cantaro of water carries a handful of com, which she
drops in a place provided for that purpose : this
tribute is intended for the maintenance of the mules,
and we paid two cents for the drinking of each of
our horses.
THE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLE. 335
The custody and preservation of these wells are
an important part of the administration of the vil¬
lage government. Thirty Indians are elected every
year, who are called alcaldes of the wells, and
whose business it is to keep them in good order,
and the tanks constantly supplied with water.
They receive no pay, but are exempted from cer¬
tain obligations and services, which makes the of¬
fice desirable; and no small object of the political
struggle through which the village had passed, was
to change the alcaldes of the wells. Buried among
the ruins of Uxmal, the news of this important elec¬
tion had not reached us.
Though practically enduring, in some respects, the
appendages of an aristocratic government, the In¬
dians who carried us on their shoulders, and our
loads on their backs, have as good votes as their
masters; and it was painful to have lost the oppor¬
tunity of seeing the democratic principle in opera¬
tion among the only true and real native American
party; the spectacle being, as we were told, in the
case of the hacienda Indians, one of exceeding im¬
pressiveness, not to say sublimity. These, being cri-
ados, or servants, in debt to their masters and their
bodies mortgaged, go up to the village unanimous
in opinion and purpose, without partiality or preju¬
dice, either in favour of or against particular men
or measures ; they have no bank questions, nor
questions of internal improvement, to consider; no
angry discussions about the talents, private charac- *
336
INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
ters, or public services of candidates; and, above all,
they are free from the degrading imputation of man
worship, for in general they have not the least idea
for whom they are voting. All they have to do is
to put into a box a little piece of paper given to
them by the master or major domo, for which they
are to have a holyday. The only danger is that,
in the confusion of greeting acquaintances, they
may get their papers changed; and when this hap¬
pens, they are almost invariably found soon after
committing some offence against hacienda disci¬
pline, for which these independent electors are
pretty sure to get flogged by the major domo.
In the villages the indifference to political dis¬
tinctions, and the discrimination of the public in
rewarding unobtrusive merit, are no less worthy of
admiration, for Indian alcaldes are frequently elect¬
ed without being aware that they have been held up
for the suffrages of their fellow-citizens; they pass
the day of election on the ground, and go home
without knowing anything about it. The night be¬
fore their term is to commence the retiring function¬
aries go round the village and catch these uncon¬
scious favourites of the people, put them into the ca-
bildo, and keep them together all night, that they
may be at hand in the morning to receive the staves
and take the oath of office.
These little peculiarities were told to us as facts,
and of such a population I can believe them to be
* true. At all events, the term of the incumbent ofli-
INSTALLATION OF ALCALDES.
337
cers was just expiring ; the next morning the grand
ceremony of the inauguration was to take place, and
the Indians going out of office were actively enga¬
ged in hunting up their successors and bringing them
together in the cabildo. Before retiring we went in
with the padrecito to look at them. Most of them
had been brought in, but some were still wanting.
They were sitting round a large table, on which lay
the record of their election; and, to beguile the te¬
diousness of their honourable imprisonment, they had
instruments by them, called musical, which kept up a
terrible noise all night. Whatever were the circum¬
stances of their election, their confinement for the
night was, no doubt, a wise precaution, to ensure
their being sober in the morning.
When we opened our door the next day, the
whole village was in commotion, preparatory to the
august ceremony of installing the new alcaldes.
The Indians had slept off the debauch of the New-
year, and in clean dresses thronged the plaza ; the
great steps ascending to the church and the plat¬
form in front were filled with Indian women dress¬
ed in white, and near the door was a group of la¬
dies, with mantas and veils, and the costume of the
senoras in the capital. The morning air was fresh
and invigorating; there were no threatening clouds
in the sky, and the sun was pouring its early beams
upon the scene of rejoicing. It was a great triumph
of principle, and the humble mules which trod their
daily circle with the beam of the noria, had red rib-
Vol I.—Uu 29
338 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
ands round their necks, hung with half dollar and
two shilling pieces, in token of rejoicing at the
change of the alcaldes of the wells.
At seven o’clock the old alcaldes took their seats
for the last time, and administered the oath of office
to their successors, after which a procession formed
for the church. The padrecito led the way, ac¬
companied by the new alcaldes. They were dress¬
ed in black body-coats and black hats, which, as we
had not seen such things since we left Merida,
among the white dresses and straw hats around
seemed a strange costume. Then followed the In¬
dian officials, each with his staff of office, and the
rest of the crowd in the plaza. Grand mass was
said, after which the padrecito sprinkled the new
alcaldes with holy water, and withdrew into his
room in the convent to take chocolate. We fol¬
lowed him, and about the same time the whole
body of new officers entered. The white alcaldes
all came up and shook hands with us, and while
the padrecito was raising his chocolate to his lips,
the Indians went one by one and kissed his hand
without disturbing his use of it. During this time
he asked us what we thought of the muchachas, or
girls of the village, whether they would compare
with those of our country, and, still sipping his
chocolate, made an address to the Indians, telling
them that, although they were great in respect to
the other Indians, yet in respect to the principal
alcaldes they were but small men; and, after much
ILLNESS OF THE CURA OF TICUL. 339
other good advice, he concluded by telling them
that they were to execute the laws and obey their
superiors.
At nine o’clock we returned to our quarters,
where, either by reason of our exertion, or from the
regular course of the disease, we all had a recur¬
rence of fever, and were obliged to betake ourselves
to our hammocks. While in this condition the pa-
drecito came in with a letter he had just received
from Ticul, bringing intelligence that the cura had
passed a fatal night, and was then dying. His min-
istro had written to us at the ruins, advising us of
his continued indisposition and inability to join us,
but, until our arrival at Nohcacab, we had no inti¬
mation that his illness was considered dangerous.
The intelligence was sudden and most afflicting.
It was so short a time since we had parted with him
to meet again at Uxmal, his kindness was so fresh in
our recollection, that we would have gone to him
immediately, but we were fastened to our ham¬
mocks.
His illness had created a great sensation among
the Indians of Ticul. They said that he was going
to die, and that it was a visitation of God for dig¬
ging up the bones in San Francisco; this rumour
became wilder as it spread, and was not confined
to the Indians. An intelligent Mestizo lad belong¬
ing to the village came over with the report, which
he repeated to gaping listeners, that the poor cura
lay on his back with his hands clasped on his breast,
340
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
crying out, in a deep, sepulchral voice, every ten
minutes by the watch, “ Devuelve esos huesos.”
“ Restore those bones.”
We heard that he had with him accidentally an
English physician, though we could not make any
English of the name. Our fever might leave us in
a few hours, and with the desperate hope that we
might arrive in time for Doctor Cabot’s skill to be
of some use to him, or, if not, to bid him a last fare¬
well, we requested the padrecito to procure coches
and Indians by two o’clock in the afternoon.
Two fete days in succession were rather too
much for the Indians of Nohcacab. In about an
hour one of the new alcaldes came to tell us that,
in celebrating the choice of their new officers, the
independent electors had all become so tipsy that
competent men could be found for only one co-
che. Perhaps it would have been difficult for the
alcaldes to know whether their immediate condi¬
tion was really the fruit of that day’s celebration or
a holding over from Newyear’s Day, but the ef¬
fect was the same so far as we were concerned.
The alcaldes and the padrecito, however, appre¬
ciated our motives, and knew it was utterly impos¬
sible for us to go on horseback, so that, with great
exertions, by two o’clock the requisite number
came reeling and staggering into the room. We
were still in our hammocks, uncertain whether it
would be possible to go at all, and their appearance
ROUGH TRAVELLING.
341
did not encourage us, for they seemed unable to
carry themselves on their feet, much less us on
their shoulders. However, we got them out of the
room, and told them to get the coches ready. At
three o’clock we crawled into the vehicles, and in
the mean time our carriers had taken another drink.
It seemed foolhardy to trust ourselves to such men,
particularly as we had to cross the sierra, the most
dangerous road in the country ; but the alcaldes said
they were hombres de bien, men of good character
and conduct; that they would be sober before the
first league was passed; and with this encourage¬
ment we started. The sun was still scorching hot,
and came in directly upon the back of my head.
My carriers set off on a full run, which they continued
for perhaps a mile, when they moderated their pace,
and, talking and laughing all the time, toward even¬
ing they set me down on the ground. I scrambled
out of the coche; the freshness of the evening air
was reviving, and we waited till Doctor Cabot came
up. He had had a much worse time than I, his
carriers happening to be more intoxicated.
It was nearly dark when we reached the foot of
the sierra, and, as we ascended, the clouds threaten¬
ed rain. Before, it had been an object to leave the
coche as open and airy as possible, on account of
the heat, but now it was a greater object to avoid
getting wet, and I had everything fastened down on
the sides. On the top of the sierra the rain came
on, and the Indians hurried down as fast as the
342
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
darkness and the ruggedness of the road would per¬
mit. This road required care on horseback and by
daylight; but as the Indians were now sober, and I
had great confidence in their sureness of foot, I had
no apprehensions, when all at once I felt the coche
going over, and, pinned in as I was, unable to help
myself, with a frightful crash it came down on its side.
My fear was that it would go over a precipice;
but the Indians on the upper side held on, and I got
out with considerable celerity. The rain was pour¬
ing, and it was so dark that I could see nothing. My
shoulder and side were bruised, but, fortunately, none
of the Indians were missing, and they all gathered
round, apparently more frightened than I was hurt.
If the accident had been worse, I could not have
blamed them; for in such darkness, and on such a
road, it was a wonder how they could get along at
all. We righted the coche, arranged things as well
as we could, and in due season I was set down at
the door of the convent. I stumbled up the steps
and knocked at the door, but the good cura was not
there to welcome me. Perhaps we had arrived too
late, and all was over. At the extreme end of the
long corridor I saw a ray of light, and, groping my
way toward it, entered a cloister, in which a num¬
ber of Indians were busily employed making fire¬
works. The cura had been taken to the house of
his sister-in-law, and we sent one of them over to
gi vc, notice of our arrival. Very soon we saw a
lantern crossing the plaza, and recognised the long
A WANDERING PHYSICIAN. 343
gown of the padre Brizeno, whose letter to the pa-
drecito had been the occasion of our coming. It
had been written early in the morning, when there
was no hope ; but within the last six hours a fa¬
vourable change had taken place, and the crisis had
passed. Perhaps no two men were ever more glad
than the doctor and myself at finding their journey
bootless. Doctor Cabot was even more relieved
than I; for, besides the apprehension that we might
arrive too late, or barely in time to be present at the
cura’s death, the doctor had that of finding him un¬
der the hands of one from whom it would be ne¬
cessary to extricate him, and still his interference
might not be effectual.
As a matter of professional etiquette, Doctor Ca¬
bot proposed to call upon the English physician.
His house was shut up, and he was already in his
hammock, being himself suffering from calentura,
for which he had just taken a warm bath; but be¬
fore the door was opened we were satisfied that he
was really an Ingles. It seemed a strange thing to
meet, in this little village in the interior of Yucatan,
one speaking our own language, but the circuitous
road by which he had reached it was not less
strange.
Doctor Fasnet, or Fasnach as he was called,
was a small man, considerably upward of fifty.
Thirty years before he had emigrated to Jamaica,
and, after wandering among the West India Isl¬
ands, had gone over to the continent; and there
344
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
was hardly a country in Spanish America in which
he had not practised the healing art. With an un¬
controllable antipathy to revolutions, it had been
his lot to pass the greater part of his life in coun¬
tries most rife with them. After running before
them in Colombia, Peru, Chili, and Central Amer¬
ica, where he had prescribed for Carrera when
the latter was pursuing his honest calling as a pig-
driver, unluckily he found himself in Salama
when Carrera came upon it with twelve hundred
Indians, and the cry of death to the whites. With
a garrison of but thirty soldiers and sixty citizens
capable of bearing arms, Doctor Fasnach was fain
to undertake the defence; but, fortunately, Carrera
drew off his Indians, and Doctor Fasnet drew off
himself, came into Yucatan, and happened to settle
in Tekax, the only town in the state that could
get up a revolution. He was flying from it, and on
his way to Merida, when he was arrested by the
cura’s illness. The doctor’s long residence in trop¬
ical countries had made him familiar with their
diseases, but his course of treatment would not
be considered legitimate by regular practitioners.
The cura’s illness was cholera morbus, attended
with excessive swelling and inflammation of the
stomach and intestines. To reduce these, Doctor
F. had a sheep killed at the door, and the stomach
of the patient covered with flesh warm from the
animal, which in a very few minutes became taint¬
ed and was taken off, and a new layer applied; and
CHANGED APPEARANCE OF THE CURA. 345
this was continued till eight sheep had been killed
and applied, and the inflammation subsided.
From the house of Doctor Fasnet we went to
the cura. The change which two weeks had made
in his appearance was appalling. Naturally thin,
his agonizing pains had frightfully reduced him, and
as he lay extended on a cot with a sheet over him,
he seemed more dead than living. He was barely
able, by the feeble pressure of his shrunken hand, to
show that he appreciated our visit, and to say that
he had never expected to see us again; but the
happy faces of those around him spoke more than
words. It was actually rejoicing as over one
snatched from the grave.
The next morning we visited him again. His
sunken eye lighted up as he inquired about our ex¬
cavations at Uxmal, and a smile played upon his
lips as he alluded to the superstition of the Indians
about digging up the bones in San Francisco. Our
visit seemed to give him so much satisfaction, that,
though we could not talk with him, we remained
at the house nearly all day, and the next day we
returned to Nohcacab on horseback. Our visit to
Ticul had recruited us greatly, and we found Mr.
Catherwood equally improved. A few days’ rest
had done wonders for us all, and we determined
immediately to resume our occupations.
On leaving Uxmal we had directed our steps to¬
ward Nohcacab, not from any attractions in the
place itself, but on account of the ruins which
Yol. I.—Xx
346 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
we had heard of as existing in that neighbour¬
hood ; and, after ascertaining their position, we
considered that they could be visited to the best
advantage by making this place our head-quarters.
We had the prospect of being detained there some
time, and, as the casa real was low, damp, and
noisy, and, moreover, our apartment was wanted for
the schoolroom, by the advice of the padrecito we
determined to abandon it, and take up our abode in
the convent.
This was a long stone building in the rear ol
the church, standing on the same high table-land,
overlooking the village, and removed from its annoy¬
ances and bustle. In the part immediately adjoin¬
ing the church were two large and convenient apart¬
ments, except that, quick in detecting all which
could bring on a recurrence of fever and ague, we
noticed on one side puddles of water and green
mould, from the constant shade of the great wall of
the church, and on the door of one of the rooms
was written, “Here died Don Jose Trufique: may
his soul rest in peace.”
In these rooms we established ourselves. On one
side of us we had the padrecito, who was always
gay and lively, and on the other six or eight Indian
sacristans, or sextons, who were always drunk. Be¬
fore the door was a broad high platform, running
all round the church, and a little beyond it was a
walled enclosure for our horses. Opposite the door
of the sacristia was a thatched cocina, or kitchen, in
RUINS OF NOHCACAB.
347
which these Indian church ministers cooked and
Albino and Bernaldo slept.
It is ascertained by historical accounts, that at
the time of the conquest an Indian town existed in
this immediate neighbourhood, bearing the name of
Nohcacab. This name is compounded of three
Maya words, signifying literally the great place of
good land; and from the numerous and extraordi¬
nary ruins scattered around, there is reason to be¬
lieve that it was the heart of a rich, and what was
once an immensely populous country. In the sub¬
urbs are numerous and large mounds, grand enough
to excite astonishment, but even more fallen and
overgrown than those of San Francisco, and, in
fact, almost inaccessible.
The village stands in the same relative position
to these ruins that Ticul does to the ruins of San
Francisco, and, like that, in my opinion it stands on
the offskirts of the old Indian town, or rather it oc¬
cupies part of the very site, for in the village itself,
within the enclosures of some of the Indians, are
the remains of mounds exactly like those in the sub¬
urbs. In making excavations in the plaza, vases
and vessels of pottery are continually brought to
light, and in the street wall of the house where the
padrecito’s mother lived is a sculptured head dug up
fifteen years ago.
The whole of this region is retired and compar¬
atively unknown. The village is without the line
of all the present main roads; it does not lie on the
348
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
way to any place of general resort, and is not worth
stopping at on its own account. Notwithstanding
the commencement of improvements, it was the
most backward and thoroughly Indian of any vil¬
lage we had visited. Merida was too far off for the
Indians to think of; but few of the vecinos ever
reached it, and Ticul was their capital. Every¬
thing that was deficient in the village they told us
was to be had at Ticul, and the sexton, who went
over once a week for the holy wafer, was always
charged with some errand for us.
The first place which we proposed visiting was
the ruins of Xcoch, and in the very beginning of
our researches in this neighbourhood we found that
we were upon entirely new ground. The attention
of the people had never been turned to the subject
of the ruins in the neighbourhood. Xcoch was but
a league distant, and, besides the ruins of buildings,
it contained an ancient poso, or well, of mysterious
and marvellous reputation, the fame of which was
in everybody’s mouth. This well was said to be a
vast subterraneous structure, adorned with sculptur¬
ed figures, an immense table of polished stone, and
a plaza with columns supporting a vaulted roof, and
it was said to have a subterraneous road, which led
to the village of Mani, twenty-seven miles distant.
Notwithstanding this wondrous reputation and
the publicity of the details, and although within
three miles of Nohcacab, the intelligence we re¬
ceived was so vague and uncertain that we were at
A MYSTERIOUS WELL.
349
a loss how to make our arrangements for exploring
the well. Not a Avhite man in the place had ever
entered it, though several had looked in at the mouth,
who said that the wind had taken away their breath,
and they had not ventured to go in. Its fame rest¬
ed entirely upon the accounts of the Indians, which,
coming to us through interpreters, were very confu¬
sed. By the active kindness of the padrecito and
his brother, the new alcalde Segunda, two men were
brought to us who were considered most familiar
with the place, and they said that it would be im¬
possible to enter it except by employing several men
one or two days in making ladders, and, at all events,
they said it would be useless to attempt the descent
after the sun had crossed the meridian ; and to this
all our friends and counsellors, who knew nothing
about it, assented. Knowing, however, their dila¬
tory manner of doing business, we engaged them to
be on the ground at daylight. In the mean time we
got together all the spare ropes in the village, inclu¬
ding one from the noria, and at eight o’clock the
next morning we set out.
For a league we followed the camino real, at
which distance we saw a little opening on the left,
where one of our Indians was waiting for us. Fol¬
lowing him by a narrow path just opened, we again
found ourselves among ruins, and soon reached the
foot of the high mound which towered above the
plain, itself conspicuous from the House of the
Dwarf at Uxmal, and which is represented in the
30
350
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
engraving above. The ground in this neighbour¬
hood was open, and there were the remains of sev¬
eral buildings, but all prostrate and in utter ruin.
The great cerro stands alone, the only one that
now rises above the plain. The sides are all fallen,
though in some places the remains of steps are visi¬
ble. On the south side, about half way up, there is
a large tree, which facilitates the ascent to the top.
The height is about eighty or ninety feet. One
corner of a building is all that is left; the rest of the
top is level and overgrown with grass. The view
commanded an immense wooded plain, and, rising
above it, toward the southeast the great church of
ENTRANCE TO THE WELL.
351
Nolicaeab, and on the west the mined buildings of
Uxmal.
Returning in the same direction, we entered a
thick grove, in which we dismounted and tied our
horses. It was the finest grove we had seen in the
country, and within it was a great circular cavity or
opening in the earth, twenty or thirty feet deep, with
trees and bushes growing out of the bottom and
sides, and rising above the level of the plain. It
was a wild-looking place, and had a fanciful, mys¬
terious, and almost fearful appearance; for while in
the grove all was close and sultry, and without a
breath of air, and every leaf was still, within this
cavity the branches and leaves were violently agi¬
tated, as if shaken by an invisible hand.
This cavity was the entrance to the poso, or well,
and its appearance was wild enough to bear out the
wildest accounts we had heard of it. We descend¬
ed to the bottom. At one corner was a rude natu¬
ral opening in a great mass of limestone rock, low
and narrow, through which rushed constantly a
powerful current of wind, agitating the branches
and leaves in the area without. This was the
mouth of the well, and on our first attempting to
enter it the rush of wind was so strong that it made
us fall back gasping for breath, confirming the ac¬
counts we had heard in Nohcacab. Our Indians
had for torches long strips of the castor-oil plant,
which the wind only ignited more thoroughly, and
with these they led the way. It was one of the
352
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
marvels told us of this place, that it was impossible
to eater after twelve o’clock. This hour was
already past; we had not made the preparations
which were said to be necessary, and, without
knowing how far we should be able to continue, we
followed our guides, other Indians coming after us
with coils of rope.
The entrance was about three feet high and four
or five wide. It was so low that we were obliged
to crawl on our hands and feet, and descended at
an angle of about fifteen degrees in a northerly di¬
rection. The wind, collecting in the recesses of the
cave, rushed through this passage with such force
that we could scarcely breathe; and as we all had
in us the seeds of fever and ague, we very much
doubted the propriety of going on, but curiosity was
stronger than discretion, and we proceeded. In the
floor of the passage was a single track, worn two or
three inches deep by long-continued treading of
feet, and the roof was incrusted with a coat of smoke
from the flaring torches. The labour of crawling
through this passage with the body bent, and against
the rush of cold air, made a rather severe beginning,
and, probably, if we had undertaken the enterprise
alone we should have turned back.
At the distance of a hundred and fifty or two
hundred feet the passage enlarged to an irregular
cavern, forty or fifty feet wide and ten or fifteen
high. We no longer felt the rush of cold wind, and
the temperature was sensibly warmer. The sides
INTERIOR OF THE WELL.
353
and roof were of rough, broken stone, and through
the centre ran the same worn path. From this pas¬
sage others branched off to the right and left, and
in passing along it, at one place the Indians held
their torches dow r n to a block of sculptured stone.
We had, of course, already satisfied ourselves that
the cave or passage, whatever it might lead to, was
the work of nature, and had given up all expectation
of seeing the great monuments of art which had
been described to us; but the sight of this block en¬
couraged us with the hope that the accounts might
have some foundation. Very soon, however, our
hopes on this head were materially abated, if not
destroyed, by reaching what the Indians had de¬
scribed as a mesa, or table. This had been a great
item in all the accounts, and was described as made
by hand and highly polished. It was simply a huge
block of rude stone, the top of which happened to
be smooth, but entirely in a state of nature. Be¬
yond this we passed into a large opening of an ir¬
regular circular form, being what had been descri¬
bed to us as a plaza. Here the Indians stopped
and flared their torches. It was a great vault¬
ed chamber of stone, with a high roof supported
by enormous stalactite pillars, which were what
the Indians had called the columns, and though
entirely different from what we had expected, the
effect under the torchlight, and heightened by the
wild figures of the Indians, was grand, and almost
repaid us for all our trouble. This plaza lay at one
Vol. I.— Y v
354
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
side of the regular path, and we remained in it some
minutes to refresh ourselves, for the closeness of the
passage and the heat and smoke were becoming al¬
most intolerable.
Farther on we climbed up a high, broken piece
of rock, and descended again by a low, narrow
opening, through which we were obliged to crawl,
and which, from its own closeness, and the heat and
smoke of the torches, and the labour of crawling
through it, was so hot that we were panting with
exhaustion and thirst. This brought us to a rug¬
ged, perpendicular hole, three or four feet in diam¬
eter, with steps barely large enough for a foothold,
worn in the rock. We descended with some diffi¬
culty, and at the foot came out upon a ledge of
rock, which ran up on the right to a great height,
while on the left was a deep, yawning chasm. A
few rude logs were laid along the edge of this
chasm, which, with a pole for a railing, served as a
bridge, and, with the torchlight thrown into the
abyss below, made a wild crossing-place; the pas¬
sage then turned to the right, contracting to about
three feet in height and the same in width, and de¬
scending rapidly. We were again obliged to betake
ourselves to crawling, and again the heat became
insufferable. Indeed, we went on with some ap¬
prehensions. To faint in one of those narrow pas¬
sages, so far removed from a breath of air, would be
almost to die there. As to carrying a man out, it
was impossible for either of us to do more than drag
THE BASIN.
355
himself along, and I believe that there could have
been no help from the Indians.
This passage continued fifty or sixty feet, when
it doubled on itself, still contracted as before, and
still rapidly descending. It then enlarged to a rather
spacious cavern, and took a southwest direction,
after which there was another perpendicular hole,
leading, by means of a rude and rickety ladder, to
a steep, low, crooked, and crawling passage, de¬
scending until it opened into a large broken cham¬
ber, at one end of which was a deep hole or basin
of water.
This account may not be perfectly accurate in all
the details, but it is not exaggerated. Probably
some of the turnings and windings, ascents and de¬
scents, are omitted ; and the truest and most faith¬
ful description that could be given of it would be
really the most extraordinary.
The water was in a deep, stony basin, running
under a shelf of overhanging rock, with a pole laid
across on one side, over which the Indians leaned
to dip it up with their calabashes; and this alone, if
we had wanted other proof, was confirmation that
the place had been used as a well.
But at the moment it was a matter of very little
consequence to us whether any living being had
ever drunk from it before ; the sight of it was more
welcome to us than gold or rubies. We were drip¬
ping with sweat, black with smoke, and perishing
with thirst. It lay before us in its stony basin,
356
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
clear and inviting, but it was completely out of
reach; the basin was so deep that we could not
reach the water with our hands, and we had no
vessel of any kind to dip it out with. In our entire
ignorance of the character of the place, we had not
made any provision, and the Indians had only
brought what they were told to bring. I crawled
down on one side, and dipped up a little with one
hand; but it was a scanty supply, and with this
water before us we were compelled to go away with
our thirst unsatisfied. Fortunately, however, after
crawling back through the first narrow passage, we
found some fragments of a broken water-jar, with
which the Indians returned and brought us enough
to cool our tongues.
In going down we had scarcely noticed anything
except the wild path before us; but, having now
some knowledge of the place, the labour was not so
great, and we inquired for the passage which the
Indians had told us led to Mani. On reaching it,
we turned off, and, after following it a short dis¬
tance, found it completely stopped by a natural clo¬
sing of the rock. From the best information we
could get, although all said the passage led to Mani,
we were satisfied that the Indians had never at¬
tempted to explore it. It did not lead to the water,
nor out of the cave, and our guides had never en¬
tered it before. We advised them for the future to
omit this and some other particulars in their stories
about the well; but probably, except from the pa-
USES OF THIS WELL.
357
drecito, and others to whom we communicated what
we saw, the next travellers will hear the same ac¬
counts that we did.
As we advanced, we remained a little while in
the cooler atmosphere before exposing ourselves to
the rush of cold air toward the mouth, and in an
hour and a half from the time of entering, we
emerged into the outer air.
As a mere cave, this was extraordinary; but as a
well or watering-place for an ancient city, it was
past belief, except for the proofs under our own
eyes. Around it were the ruins of a city without
any other visible means of supply, and, what rarely
happened, with the Indians it was matter of tradi¬
tionary knowledge. They say that it was not dis¬
covered by them; it was used by their fathers ; they
did not know when it began to be used. They as¬
cribe it to that remote people whom they refer to as
the antiguos.
And a strong circumstance to induce the belief
that it was once used by the inhabitants of a popu¬
lous city, is the deep track worn in the rock. For
ages the region around has been desolate, or occu¬
pied only by a few Indians during the time of work-,
ing in the milpas. Their straggling footsteps would
never have made that deep track. It could only
have been made by the constant and long-contin¬
ued tread of thousands. It must have been made
by the population of a city.
In the grove surrounding the entrance we found
358 INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL.
some water collected in the hollow of a stone, with
which we slaked our thirst and made a partial ab¬
lution ; and it was somewhat extraordinary that,
though we were barely recovered from illness, had
exerted ourselves greatly, and been exposed to rapid
alternations of heat and cold, we never experienced
any bad effects from it.
On our return to the village we found that an un¬
fortunate accident had occurred during our absence;
a child had been run away with by a horse, thrown
off, and killed. In the evening, in company with
the alcalde, the brother of the padrecito, we went
to the velorio, or watching. It was an extremely
dark night, and we stumbled along a stony and bro¬
ken street till we reached the house of mourning.
Before the door were a crowd of people, and a large
card-table, at which all who could find a place were
seated playing cards. At the moment of our arri¬
val, the whole company was convulsed with laugh¬
ter at some good thing which one of them had ut¬
tered, and which was repeated for our benefit; a
strange scene at the threshold of a house of mourn¬
ing. We entered the house, which was crowded
with women, and hammocks were vacated for our
use, these being in all cases the seat of honour.
The house, like most of those in the village, con¬
sisted of a single room rounded at each end. The
floor was of earth, and the roof thatched with
long leaves of the guano. From the cross-poles
hung a few small hammocks, and in the middle of
A FATAL ACCIDENT.
359
the room stood a table, on which lay the body of the
child. It had on the same clothes which it wore
when the accident happened, torn and stained with
blood. At one side of the face the skin was scratch¬
ed off from being dragged on the ground ; the skull
was cracked; and there was a deep gash under the
ear, from which the blood was still oozing. On
each side of the head was a lighted candle. It was
a white child, three years old, and that morning had
been playing about the house. The mother, a wom¬
an of uncommonly tall and muscular frame, was ap¬
plying rags to stanch the flow of blood. She had
set out that morning with all her family for Cam-
peachy, with the intention of removing to that
place. An Indian woman went before on horse¬
back, carrying this child and another. In the sub¬
urbs of the village the horse took fright and ran
away, throwing them all off; the servant and one
child escaped unhurt; but this one was dragged
some distance, and in two hours died of its wounds.
The women were quiet and grave, but outside there
was a continual laughing, jesting, and uproar, which,
with the dead child before our eyes, seemed rude
and heartless. While this was going on, we heard
the gay voice of the padrecito, just arrived, contrib¬
uting largely to the jest, and presently he came in,
went up to the child, and, addressing himself to us,
lifted up the head, showed us the wounds, told what
he had done for it, and said that if the doctor had
been there it might have been saved, or if it had
360
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
been a man, but, being so young, its bones were very
tender; then he lighted a straw cigar, threw himself
into a hammock, and, looking around, asked us, in
a tone of voice that was intended for the whole
company, what we thought of the girls.
This ceremony of el velorio is always observed
when there is death in a family. It is intended, as
the padrecito told us, para divertirse, or to amuse and
distract the family, and keep them from going to
sleep. At twelve o’clock chocolate is served round,
and again at daybreak; but in some respects the cer¬
emony is different in the case of grown persons and
that of children. In the latter, as they believe that
a child is without sin, and that God takes it imme¬
diately to himself, the death is a subject of rejoicing,
and the night is passed in card-playing, jesting, and
story-telling. But in the case of grown persons, as
they are not so sure what becomes of the spirit, they
have no jesting or story-telling, and only play cards.
All this may seem unfeeling, but we must not judge
others by rules known only to ourselves. Whatever
the ways of hiding or expressing it, the stream of
natural affection runs deep in every bosom.
The mother of the child shed no tears, but as she
stood by its head, stanching its wounds from time
to time, she did not seem to be rejoicing over its
death. The padrecito told us that she was poor,
but a very respectable woman. We inquired about
the other members of her family, and especially her
husband. The padrecito said she had none, nor
A QUESTION ANSWERED.
361
was she a widow; and, unfortunately for his standard
of respectability, when we asked who was the father
of the child, he answered laughingly, “ Q,uien sabe ?”
“Who knows?” At ten o’clock he lighted a long
bundle of sticks at one of the candles burning at the
head of the child, and we went away.
Vol. I.— Z z 31
362
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
$
CHAPTER XVI.
Ruins of Nohpat.—A lofty Mound.—Grand View.—Sculptured
Human Figure.—Terraces.—Huge sculptured Figure.—Other
Figures.— Skull and Cross-bones.—Situation of Ruins.—Jour¬
ney to Kabah.—Thatched Huts.—Arrival at the Ruins.—Return
to the Village.—Astonishment of the Indians.—Valuable Ser¬
vant.—Festival of Corpus Alma.—A plurality of Saints.—How
to put a Saint under Patronage.—A Procession.—Fireworks.—
A Ball.—Excess of Female Population.—A Dance.
The next day we set out for another ruined city.
It lay on the road to Uxmal, and was the same
which I had visited on my first return from Ticul,
known by the name of Nohpat. At the distance of
a league we turned off from the main road to the
left, and, following a narrow milpa path, in fifteen
minutes reached the field of ruins. One mound
rose high above the rest, holding aloft a ruined
building, as shown in the preceding engraving. At
RUINS OF NO H PAT.
363
the foot of this we dismounted and tied our horses.
It was one hundred and fifty feet high on the slope,
and about two hundred and fifty feet long at the base.
At the top, the mound, with the building upon it,
had separated and fallen apart, and while one side
still supported part of the edifice, the other present¬
ed the appearance of a mountain slide. Cocome,
our guide, told us that the separation had happened
only with the floods of the last rainy season. We
ascended on the fallen side, and, reaching the top,
found, descending on the south side, a gigantic stair¬
case, overgrown, but with the great stone steps still
in their places, and almost entire. The ruined
building on the top consisted of a single corridor,
but three feet five inches wide, and, with the ruins
of Nohpat at our feet, we looked out upon a great
desolate plain, studded with overgrown mounds, of
which we took the bearings and names as known
to the Indians; toward the west by north, startling
by the grandeur of the buildings and their height
above the plain, with no decay visible, and at this
distance seeming perfect as a living city, were the
ruins of Uxmal. Fronting us was the great Casa
del Gobernador, apparently so near that we almost
looked into its open doors, and could have distin¬
guished a man moving on the terrace; and yet, for
the first two weeks of our residence at Uxmal, we
did not know of the existence of this place, and,
wanting the clearings that had been made at Ux-
364
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
mal, no part of it was visible from the terraces or
buildings there.
Descending the mound, we passed around by the
side of the staircase, and rose upon an elevated plat¬
form, in the centre of which was a huge and rude
round stone, like that called the picote in the court¬
yards at Uxmal. At the base of the steps was a
large flat stone, having sculptured upon it a colossal
human figure in bas-relief, which is represented in
the following engraving. The stone measures elev¬
en feet four inches in length, and three feet ten in
breadth, and lies on its back, broken in two in the
middle. Probably it once stood erect at the base of
the steps, but, thrown down and broken, has lain for
ages with its face to the sky, exposed to the floods
of the rainy season. The sculpture is rude and
worn, and the lines were difficult to make out.
The Indians said that it was the figure of a king of
TERRACES AND RUINED BUILDINGS. 365
the antiguos, and no doubt it was intended as a
portrait of some lord or cacique.
At a short distance to the southeast of the court¬
yard was another platform or terrace, about twenty
feet high and two hundred feet square, on two sides
of which were ranges of buildings standing at right
angles to each other. One of them had two stories,
and trees growing out of the walls and on the top,
forming the most picturesque ruins we had seen in
the country. As we approached it Doctor Cabot
was climbing up a tree at the corner to get on the
roof in pursuit of a bird, and, in doing so, started
a gigantic lizard, which went bounding among the
trees and along the cornice till he buried himself in
a large fissure in the front.
Beyond this was another terrace, having on it
ruined buildings overgrown with trees. Mr. Cath-
erwood was tempted to sketch them merely on ac¬
count of their picturesque effect, and while we were
on the ground they seemed to us the most touching
and interesting of any we had seen; but as they con¬
tribute nothing to illustrate the architecture and art
of these unknown people, we do not present them.
Leaving this neighbourhood, and passing by many
ruined buildings and mounds, at the distance of six
or seven hundred feet we reached an open place,
forming the most curious and interesting part of this
field of ruins. It was in the vicinity of three mounds,
lines drawn from which to each other would form a
right angle, and in the open space were some sculp-
366
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tured monuments, shattered, fallen, and some of them
half buried. Strange heads and bodies lay broken
and scattered, so that at first we did not discover
their connexion; but, by examining carefully, we
found two fragments, which, from the shape of the
broken surfaces, seemed to be parts of one block, one
of them representing a huge head, and the other a
huger body. The latter we set up in its proper po¬
sition, and with some difficulty, by means of poles,
and ropes which the Indians took from their san¬
dals, we got the other part on the top, and fitted in
its place, as it had once stood. The following en¬
graving represents this monument. It was a solid
i
block of stone, measuring four feet three inches high,
and one foot six inches thick, and represents a hu¬
man figure in a crouching posture, with the face,
having a hideous expression, turned over the shoul¬
der, almost behind. The headdress is a representa¬
tion of the head of a wild beast, the ears, eyes, teeth,
and jaws being easily distinguishable. The sculpture
is rude, and the whole appearance uncouth and ugly.
Probably it was one of the idols worshipped by the
people of this ancient city.
There were others of the same general charac-
SKULL AND CROSS-BONES. 367
ter, of which the sculpture was more defaced and
worn; and, besides these, there were monuments of
a different character, half buried, a'nd dispersed
without apparent order, but which evidently had
an adaptation to each other; after some examina¬
tion, we made out what we considered the arrange¬
ment in which they had stood, and had them set up
according to our combination. The following en¬
graving represents these stones. They vary from
one foot four inches to one foot ten inches in length.
Each stone is two feet three inches high. The
subject is the skull and cross-bones. The sculpture
is in bas-relief, and the carving good, and still clear
and distinct Probably this was the holy place of
the city, where the idols or deities were presented
to the people with the emblems of death around
them.
The ruins lie on the common lands of the village
of Nohcacab, at least so say the alcaldes of that
place, but Don Simon Peon claims that they are
within the old boundaries of the hacienda of Uxmal,
and the settling of the question is not worth the
expense of a survey. The name Nohpat is com¬
pounded of two Maya words, which signify a great
368
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
lord or senor, and this is all the information I was
able to collect about this ancient city. If we had
met with it on our former journey we should have
planted ourselves, and given it a thorough explora¬
tion. The mounds and vestiges of buildings were
perhaps as numerous as those of Uxmal, but they
were all ruined. The day was like the finest of Oc¬
tober at home, and, as a relief from the heat of the
sun, there was a constant and refreshing breeze.
The country was open, or studded with trees barely
enough to adorn the landscape, and give picturesque
beauty to the ruins. It was cut up by numerous
paths, and covered with grass like a fine piece of
upland at home, and for the first and only time in
the country we found pleasure in a mere ramble
over fields. Bernaldo came out from the village
with a loaded Indian at the precise moment when
we wanted dinner, and altogether it was one of the
most agreeable and satisfactory days that we passed
among the relics of the antiguos.
The next day, being the eighth of January, we set
out for the ruins of Kabah. Our direction was
south, on the camino real to Bolonchen. The de¬
scent from the great rocky table on which the con¬
vent stands was on this side rough, broken, and pre¬
cipitous. We passed through a long street having
on each side thatched huts, occupied exclusively by
Indians. Some had a picturesque appearance, and
the engraving which follows represents one of them.
At the end of the street, as well as at the ends of
JOURNEY TO KABAH.
369
the three other principal streets, which run toward
the cardinal points, were a small chapel and altar,
at which the inhabitants of the village might offer
up prayers on leaving it, and thanks for their safe
return. Beyond, the road was stony, bordered on
both sides by scrubby trees and bushes; but as we
advanced we passed through an open country, adorn¬
ed with large forest trees. At the distance of two
leagues we turned off by a milpa path on the left,
and very soon found ourselves among trees, bushes,
and a thick, overgrown foliage, which, after the fine
open field of Nohpat, we regarded as among the vi¬
cissitudes of our fortunes. Beyond we saw through
an opening a lofty mound, overgrown, and having
upon it the ruins of a building like the House of the
Dwarf, towering above every other object, and pro-
Vol. I. —A A A
370 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
claiming the site of another lost and deserted city.
Moving on, again, through openings in the trees, we
had a glimpse of a great stone edifice, with its front
apparently entire. We had hardly expressed onr
admiration before we saw another, and at a few
horses’ length a third. Three great buildings at
once, with facades which, at that distance, and by
the imperfect glimpses we had of them, showed no
imperfection, and seemed entire. We were taken
by surprise. Our astonishment and wonder were
again roused; and we were almost as much excited
as if this was the first ruined city we had seen.
Our guides cut a path for us, and with great dif¬
ficulty we went on till we found ourselves at the
foot of an overgrown terrace in front of the nearest
building. Here we stopped ; the Indians cleared a
place for our horses, we secured them, and, climbing
up a fallen wall of the terrace, out of which large
trees were growing, came out upon the platform, and
before us was a building with its walls entire, its
front more fallen, but the remains showing that it
had once been more richly decorated than any at
Uxmal. We crossed the terrace, walked up the
steps, and entering its open doors, ranged through
every apartment. Then we descended the back
terrace, and rose upon a high mound, having a great
stone staircase different from anything we had seen,
and, groping our way among the trees, passed on to
the next; and the third presented a facade almost
entire, with trees growing before it and on the top,
RUINS OF KABAH.
371
as if nature and ruin had combined to produce their
most picturesque effect. On the way we had glimp¬
ses of other buildings, separated from us by a thick
growth of underwood; and after a hard but most
interesting morning’s work, we returned to the first
building.
Since we first set out in search of ruins we had
not been taken so much by surprise. During the
whole time of our residence at Uxmal, and until my
forced visit to Ticul, and fortunate intimacy with
the cura Carillo, I had not even heard of the ex¬
istence of such a place. It was absolutely un¬
known ; and the Indians who guided us having con¬
ducted us to these buildings, of all the rest seemed
as ignorant as ourselves. They told us, in fact, that
these were all; but we could not believe them; we
felt confident that more lay buried in the woods, and,
tempted by the variety and novelty of w'hat we saw,
we determined not to go away until we had discov¬
ered all. So far, since we began at Nohcacab, we
had “ done up” a city a day, but we had now a great
field of labour before us, and we saw at once that it
was to be attended with many difficulties.
There was no rancho, and no habitation of any
kind nearer than the village. The buildings them¬
selves offered good shelter; with the necessary
clearings they could be made extremely agreeable,
and on many considerations it was advisable again
to take up our abode among the ruins; but this ar¬
rangement was not without its dangers. The sea-
372
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
son of El Norte seemed to have no end; every day
there was rain; the foliage was so thick that the hot
sun could not dry the moisture before another rain
came, and the whole country was enveloped in a
damp, unwholesome atmosphere. Besides, unluck¬
ily for us, it was a season of great abundance in the
village; the corn crop had been good; the Indians
had plenty to eat, and did not care to work. Al¬
ready we had found difficulty in hiring them; it
would require constant urging and our continual
presence to secure them from day to day. As to
getting them to remain with us, it was out of the
question. We determined, therefore, to continue
our residence at the convent, and go out to the ruins
every day.
Late in the afternoon we returned to the village,
and in the evening had a levee of visiters. The
sensation we had created in the village had gone
on increasing, and the Indians were really indis¬
posed to work for us at all. The arrival of a stran¬
ger even from Merida or Campeachy was an ex¬
traordinary event, and no Ingleses had ever been
seen there before. The circumstance that we had
come to work among the ruins was wonderful, in¬
comprehensible. Within the memory of the oldest
Indians these remains had never been disturbed.
The account of the digging up of the bones in San
Francisco had reached them, and they had much
conversation with each other and with the padre-
cito about us. It was a strange thing, they said,
ASTONISHMENT OF THE INDIANS. 373
that men with strange faces, and a language they
could not understand, had come among them to
disinter their ruined cities; and, simple as their
ancestors when the Spaniards first came among
them, they said that the end of the world was nigh.
It was late the next day when we reached the
ruins. We could not set out before the Indians,
for they might disappoint us altogether, and we
could do nothing until they came, but, once on the
ground, we soon had them at work. On both sides
we watched each other closely, though from some¬
what different motives: they from utter inability to
comprehend our plans and purposes, and we from
the fear that we should get no work out of them.
If one of us spoke, they all stopped to listen ; if we
moved, they stopped to gaze upon us. Mr. Cather-
wood’s drawing materials, tripod, sextant, and com¬
pass were very suspicious, and occasionally Doctor
Cabot filled up the measure of their astonishment
by bringing down a bird as it flew through the air.
By the time they were fairly broken in to know
what they had to do, it was necessary to return to
the village.
The same labour was repeated the next day with
a new set of men; but, by continual supervision and
urging, we managed to get considerable work done.
Albino was a valuable auxiliary; indeed, without
him I could hardly have got on at all. We had
not fairly discovered his intelligence until we left
Uxmal. There all had a beaten track to move in,
32
374
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
but on the road little things were constantly occur¬
ring in which he showed an ingenuity and a fertil¬
ity of resource that saved us from many annoy¬
ances. He had been a soldier, and at the siege of
Campeachy had received a sabre-cut in a fleshy
part of the body, which rather intimated that he
was moving in an opposite direction when the sabre
overtook him. Having received neither pay for his
services nor pension for his wound, he was a little
disgusted with patriotism and fighting for his coun¬
try. He was by trade a blacksmith, which busi¬
ness, on the recommendation of Dona Joaquina
Peon, he had given up to enter our service. His
usefulness and capacity were first clearly brought
out at Kabah. Knowing the character of the In¬
dians, speaking their language, and being hut a few
degrees removed from them by blood, he could get
out of them twice as much work as I could. Him,
too, they could ask questions about us, and lighten
labour by the indulgence of social humour, and very
soon I had only to give instructions as to what
work was to be done, and leave the whole manage¬
ment of it to him. This doubled our effective force,
as we could work with two sets of Indians in dif¬
ferent places at the same time, and gave Albino a
much greater value than that of a common servant.
He had one bad habit, which was that of getting
the fever and ague. This he was constantly fall¬
ing into, and, with all our efforts, we could never
break him of it, but, unluckily, we never set him a
FESTIVAL OF CORPUS ALMA. 375
good example. In the mean time Bernaldo sus¬
tained his culinary reputation; and, avoiding the
bad habit, of Albino and his masters, while all the
rest of us were lank as the village dogs of that
country, his cheeks seemed always ready to burst
open.
While we were working at the ruins, the people
in the village were losing no time. On the eleventh
began the fiesta of Corpus Alma, a festival of nine
days’ observance in honour of Santo Cristo del
Amor. Its opening was announced by the ringing
of church bells and firing of rockets, which, fortu¬
nately, as we were away at the ruins, we avoided
hearing; but in the evening came the procession
and the bade, to which we were formally invited
by a committee, consisting of the padrecito, the al¬
calde, and a much more important person than
either, styled El Patron del Santo, or the Patron of
the Saint.
I have mentioned that Nohcacab was the most
backward and thoroughly Indian of any village we
had visited. With this strongly-marked Indian
character, its church government is somewhat pe¬
culiar, and differs, I believe, from that of all the oth¬
er villages. Besides smaller saints, the favourites
of individuals, it has nine principal ones, who have
been selected as special objects of veneration : San
Mateo, the patron, and Santa Barbara, the patroness
of the village; Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion;
Nuestra Senora del Rosario ; El Senor del Trans-
376
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
figuration; El Senor de Misericordia; San Antonio,
the patron of souls, and El Santo Cristo del Amor.
Each of these saints, while acting as patron in gen¬
eral, is also under the special care of a patron in
particular.
The process of putting a saint under patronage is
peculiar. Among the images distributed around the
walls of the church, whenever one is observed to
attract particular attention, as, for instance, if In¬
dians are found frequently kneeling before it, and
making offerings, the padre requires of the cacique
twelve Indians to serve and take care of the saint,
who are called mayoles. These are furnished ac¬
cording to the requisition, and they elect a head,
but not from their own number, who is called the
patron, and to them is intrusted the guardianship
of the saint. The padre, in his robes of office, ad¬
ministers an oath, which is sanctified by sprinkling
them with holy water. The patron is sworn to
watch over the interests of the saint, to take care
of all the candles and other offerings presented to
him, and to see that his fete is properly observed;
and the mayoles are sworn to obey the orders of the
patron in all things touching the custody and ser¬
vice of the saint. One of these saints, to whom
a patron had been assigned, was called El Santo
Cristo del Amor, the addition having reference to
the love of the Saviour in laying down his life for
man. The circumstance of the Saviour being rev¬
erenced as a saint was as new to us as that of a saint
THE PROCESSION.
377
having a patron. It was the fiesta of this saint
which was now celebrated, and to which we were
formally invited. We accepted the invitation, but,
having had a hard day’s work, we were taking sup¬
per rather leisurely, when the patron came in a hur¬
ry to tell us that the procession was ready, and the
saint was only waiting for us. Not wishing to put
him to this inconvenience, we hurried through our
meal, and proceeded to the church.
The procession had formed in the body of the
church, and at the head of it, in the doorway, were
Indians bearing the cross. Upon our arrival it be¬
gan to move with a loud chant, and under the di¬
rection of the patron. Next to the cross were four
Indians, bearing on a barrow the figure of the saint,
being that of the Saviour on the cross, about a
foot high, and fastened against a broad wooden back
with a canopy overhead, and a small looking-glass
on each side. This was followed by the patron
and his mayoles, the padrecito and ourselves, the
vecinos, or white people of the village, and a long
train of Indian men and women, bareheaded, in
white dresses, and all bearing long lighted candles.
Moving down the great steps of the church with a
loud chant, and the cross and the figure of the saint
conspicuous under the light of hundreds of candles,
the coup d’oeil of the procession was solemn and
imposing. Its march was toward the house of the
patron, and, on turning up the street that led to it,
we noticed a rope stretched along it for perhaps a
Vol. I—B B B
378
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
hundred yards, and presently a piece of fireworks
was set off, called by them the idas, or goers, and
known by pyrotechnists among us as flying pigeons.
The flaming ball whizzed along the rope backward
and forward, scattering fire on the heads of the
people underneath, and threw the whole procession
into confusion and laughter. The saint was hur¬
ried into a place of security, and the people filed off
on each side of the rope, out of reach of the sparks.
The idas went off with universal applause, and
showed that the custody of the saint had not been
placed in unworthy hands. This over, the chant
was resumed, and the procession moved on till it
reached the house of the patron, at the door of
which the padrecito chanted a salve, and then the
saint was borne within. The house consisted of a
single long room, having at one end a temporary
altar, adorned with flowers, and at the other a table,
on which were spread dulces, bread, cheese, and
various compound mixtures both for eating and
drinking.
The saint was set up on the altar, and in a few
minutes the patron led the way, through a door op¬
posite that by which we had entered, into an oblong
enclosure about one hundred feet long and forty wide,
having an arbour of palm leaves overhead. The
floor was of hard earth, and seats were arranged
around the sides. All the vecinos followed, and we,
as strangers and attendants of the padrecito and his
family, were conducted to the principal places, being
THE BALL.
379
a row of large wooden arm-chairs, two of which
were occupied by the padrecito’s mother and sister.
Very soon all the seats were occupied by whites and
Mestiza women, and the whole enclosure, with the
exception of a small space for dancing, was filled up
with Indian servants and children sitting on the
ground.
Preparations were immediately made for dancing,
and the ball was opened by the patron of the saint.
This patron was not very saintly in his appearance,
but really a most respectable man in his deportment
and character, and in his youth had been the best
bull-fighter the village had ever produced.
He began with the dance called the toros. The
brother of the padrecito acted as master of the cer¬
emonies, and with a pocket-handkerchief called out
the ladies one after the other, until every dancing
lady present had had her turn.
He then took the patron’s place, the patron act¬
ing as Bastonero in his stead, and called out again
every lady who chose to dance. It was a bal cham-
petre, in which no costume was required, and the
brother of the padrecito, who had opened upon us,
as alcalde elect, with a black dress-coat, white pan¬
taloons, and fur hat, danced in shirt, drawers, straw
hat, and sandals, pieces of leather on the soles of
his feet, with cords wound round nearly up to the
calf of the leg.
When he had finished we were solicited to take
380
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
his place, which, however, though with some diffi¬
culty, we avoided.
I have not yet mentioned, what is a subject of re¬
mark throughout Yucatan, and was particularly man¬
ifest at this ball, the great apparent excess of female
population. This excess was said to be estimated
at the rate of two to one; but although it was an
interesting subject, and I was seeking for statistical
information which was said to exist, I could not ob¬
tain any authentic information in regard to it. I
have no doubt, however, that there are many more
than one woman to one man, which the men say
makes Yucatan a great country to live in. Perhaps
this is one reason why the standard of morality is
not very high, and without wishing to reflect upon
our friends in Nohcacab, as this was a public ball, I
cannot help mentioning that one of the most per¬
sonally attractive and lady-like looking women at
the ball was the amiga of a married man, whose
wife had left him ; the best dressed and most distin¬
guished young lady was the daughter of the padre
who died in one of our rooms, and who, strictly
speaking, ought never to have had any daughters;
and in instances so numerous as not to be noticed
by the people, husbands without wives and wives
without husbands were mingling unrestrainedly to¬
gether. Many of the white people could not speak
Spanish, and the conversation was almost exclusive¬
ly in the Maya language.
It was the first time we had appeared in society,
A DANCE.
381
and we were really great lions—in fact, equal to an
entire menagerie. Whenever we moved, all eyes
were turned upon us; when we spoke, all were
silent; and when we spoke with each other in
English, all laughed. In the interlude for refresh¬
ments, they had seen us eat, and all that they want¬
ed was to see us dance. The padrecito told us
we should be obliged to come out. A dance was
introduced called Saca el suyo, or “ take out your
own,” which brought us all out. The patron then
called out the mother of the padrecito, a heavy old
lady, whose dancing days were long since over, but
she went through her part convulsed with laughter,
and then called out her son, the padrecito, who, to
the great merriment of the whole company, tried to
avoid the challenge, but, once started, showed him¬
self decidedly the best dancer at the ball. At elev¬
en o’clock the ball broke up with great good hu¬
mour ; the vecinos lighted their torches, and all went
home in a body, filing off at different streets. The
Indians remained to take their places, and pass the
night in the ball-room, dancing in honour of the
saint.
Every evening, besides numerous visiters, we had
the baile for recreation. When we did not go,
Albino did. His intelligence and position as our
head man gave him a degree of consequence, and
admitted him within the arbour, where he complete¬
ly eclipsed his masters, and was considered the best
dancer in the place except the padrecito.
382
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
CHAPTER XVII.
Ruins of Kabah. — General Description. — Plan of the Ruins.—•
Great Teocalis.—Ruined Apartments.—Grand View.—Terrace
and Buildings.—Ranges of Buildings.—Hieroglyphics.—A rich
Fagade.—Wooden Lintels.—Singular Structures.—Apartments,
&c.—Rankness of Tropical Vegetation.—Edifice called the Co-
cina.— Majestic pile of Buildings. — Apartments, &c.—A soli¬
tary Arch. —A Succession of ruined Buildings. — Apartments,
&c.— Prints of the Red Hand. — Sculptured Lintel. — Instru¬
ments used by the Aboriginals for Carving Wood. — Ruined
Structure.—Ornament in Stucco.—Great ruined Building.—Cu¬
rious Chamber, &c.—Sculptured Jambs.—Another Witness for
these ruined Cities.—Last Visit to Kabah.—Its recent Discov¬
ery.—A great Charnel House.—Funeral Procession.—A Ball by
Daylight.—The Procession of the Candles.—Closing Scene.
In the mean time we continued our work at Ka¬
bah, and, during all our intercourse with the In¬
dians, we were constantly inquiring for other places
of ruins. In this we were greatly assisted by the
padrecito ; indeed, but for him, and the channels
of information opened to us through him, some
places which are presented in these pages would
perhaps never have been discovered. He had al¬
ways eight Indian sextons, selected from the most
respectable of the inhabitants, to take care of
the church, who, when not wanted to assist at
masses, salves, or funerals, were constantly lounging
about our door, always tipsy, and glad to be called
in. These sextons knew every Indian in the vil¬
lage, and the region in which he had his milpa, or
cornfield; and through them we were continually
IGNORANCE OF THE INDIANS. 383
making inquiries. All the ruins scattered about the
country are known to the Indians under the gener¬
al name of “Xlap-pahk,” which means in Spanish
“ paredes viejas,” and in English “ old walls.” The
information we obtained was in general so confused
that we were unable to form any idea of the extent
or character of the ruins. We could establish no
standard of comparison, as those who told us of one
place were, perhaps, not familiar with any other, so
that it was necessary to see all; and we had one
perplexity, the magnitude of which can hardly be
conceived, in the extraordinary ignorance of all the
people, whites and Indians, in regard to the geog¬
raphy of their own immediate neighbourhood. A
place they had never visited, though but a few
leagues distant, they knew nothing about, and, from
the extreme difficulty of ascertaining the juxtaposi¬
tion of places, it was hard to arrange the plan of
a route so as to embrace several. To some I made
preliminary visits; those from which I expected
most turned out not worth the trouble of going to,
while others, from which I expected but little, proved
extremely interesting. Almost every evening, on
returning to the convent, the padrecito hurried
into our room, with the greeting, “ buenas noticias!
otras ruinas!” “ good news! more ruins !” and at
one time these noticias came in so fast that I sent
Albino on a two days’ excursion to “ do” some pre¬
liminary visits, who returned with a report justify¬
ing my opinion of his judgment, and a bruised leg
384
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
from climbing over a mound, which disabled him for
some days.
As these pages will be sufficiently burdened, I
shall omit all the preliminary visits, and present
the long line of ruined cities in the order in which
we visited them for the purposes of exploration.
Chichen was the only place we heard of in Mer¬
ida, and the only place we knew of with absolute
certainty before we embarked for Yucatan; but we
found that a vast field of research lay between us
and it, and, not to delay the reader, I proceed at
once to the ruins of Kabah.
The engraving opposite represents the plan of the
buildings of this city. It is not made from actual
measurements, for this would have required clear¬
ings which, from the difficulty of procuring Indians,
it would have been impossible to make; but the
bearings were taken with the compass from the top
of the great teocalis, and the distances are laid
down according to our best judgment with the eye.
On this plan the reader will see a road marked
“ Camino Real to Bolonchen,” and on the left a path
marked “Path to Milpa.” Following this path to¬
ward the field of ruins, the teocalis is the first ob¬
ject that meets his eye, grand, picturesque, ruined,
and covered with trees, like the House of the Dwarf
at Uxmal, towering above every other object on the
plain. It is about one hundred and eighty feet
square at the base, and rises in a pyramidal form to
the height of eighty feet. At the foot is a range of
To face page 384.
A MOUND.-RUINED BUILDINGS.
387
ruined apartments. The steps are all fallen, and
the sides present a surface of loose stones, difficult
to climb, except on one side, where the ascent is
rendered practicable by the aid of trees. The top
presents a grand view. I ascended it for the first
time toward evening, when the sun was about set¬
ting, and the ruined buildings were casting length¬
ened shadows over the plain. At the north, south,
and east the view was bounded by a range of hills.
In part of the field of ruins was a clearing, in which
stood a deserted rancho, and the only indication
that we were in the vicinity of man was the distant
church in the village of Nohcacab.
Leaving this mound, again taking the milpa path,
and following it to the distance of three or four hun¬
dred yards, we reach the foot of a terrace twenty
feet high, the edge of which is overgrown with trees;
ascending this, we stand on a platform two hundred
feet in width by one hundred and forty-two feet
deep, and facing us is the building represented in
the plate opposite. On the right of the platform, as
we approach this building, is a high range of struc¬
tures, ruined and overgrown with trees, with an im¬
mense back wall built on the outer line of the plat¬
form, perpendicular to the bottom of the terrace.
On the left is another range of ruined buildings, not
so grand as those on the right, and in the centre of
the platform is a stone enclosure twenty-seven feet
square and seven feet high, like that surrounding the
picote at Uxmal; but the layer of stones around the
388
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
base was sculptured, and, on examination, we found
a continuous line of hieroglyphics. Mr. Cather-
wood made drawings of these as they lay scattered
about, but, as I cannot present them in the order in
which they stood, they are omitted altogether.
In the centre of the platform is a range of stone
steps forty feet wide and twenty in number, leading
to an upper terrace, on which stands the building.
This building is one hundred and fifty-one feet front,
and the moment we saw it we were struck with the
extraordinary richness and ornament of its facade.
In all the buildings of Uxmal, without a single ex¬
ception, up to the cornice which runs over the door¬
way the facades are of plain stone; but this was
ornamented from the very foundation, two layers
under the lower cornice, to the top.
The reader will observe that a great part of this
facade has fallen; toward the north end, however,
a portion of about twenty-five feet remains, which,
though not itself entire, shows the gorgeousness
of decoration with which this facade was once
adorned. The plate opposite represents this part,
exactly as it stands, with the cornice over the top
fallen.
The ornaments are of the same character with
those at Uxmal, alike complicated and incompre¬
hensible, and from the fact that every part of the
facade was ornamented with sculpture, even to the
portion now buried under the lower cornice, the
whole must have presented a greater appearance of
mi.Pojr 33 S.
KAB1H.
D&taiL of Ornament. 1 st Casa
LINTELS.-SINGULAR STRUCTURE. 389
richness than any building at Uxmal. The cornice
running over the doorways (which is stamped on
the cover of this work), tried by the severest rules
of art recognised among us, would embellish the
architecture of any known era, and, amid a mass
of barbarism, of rude and uncouth conceptions, it
stands as an offering by American builders worthy
of the acceptance of a polished people.
The lintels of the doorways were of wood; these
are all fallen, and of all the ornaments which deco¬
rated them not one now remains. No doubt they
corresponded in beauty of sculpture with the rest
of the facade. The whole now lies a mass of rub¬
bish and ruin at the foot of the wall.
On the top is a structure which, at a distance, as
seen indistinctly through the trees, had the appear¬
ance of a second story, and, as we approached, it
reminded us of the towering structures on the top
of some of the ruined buildings at Palenque.
The access to this structure was by no means
easy. There was no staircase or other visible
means of communication, either within or without
the building, but in the rear the wall and roof had
fallen, and made in some places high mounds reach¬
ing nearly to the top. Climbing up these tottering
fabrics was not free from danger. Parts which ap¬
peared substantial had not the security of buildings
constructed according to true principles of art; at
times it was impossible to discover the supporting
power, and the disorderly masses seemed held up by
390
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
an invisible hand. While we were clearing off the
trees upon the roof, a shower came up suddenly, and,
as we were hurrying to descend and take refuge in
one of the apartments below, a stone on the edge of
the cornice gave way and carried me down with it.
By great good fortune, underneath was a mound of
ruins which reached nearly to the roof, and saved
me from a fall that would have been most serious,
if not fatal, in its consequences. The expression
on the face of an Indian attendant as he saw me
going was probably a faint reflection of my own.
The structure on the top of this building is about
fifteen feet high and four feet thick, and extends
over the back wall of the front range of apartments,
the whole length of the edifice. In many places it
has fallen, but we were now more struck than when
at a distance with its general resemblance to the
ruined structures on the top of some of the build¬
ings at Palenque. The latter were stuccoed; this
was of cut stone, and more chaste and simple. It
could not have been intended for any use as part
of the edifice; the only purpose we could ascribe
to it was that of ornament , as it improved the ap¬
pearance of the building seen from a distance, and
set it off with great effect on near approach.
I have said that we were somewhat excited by
the first view of the facade of this building. As¬
cending the steps and standing in the doorway of
the centre apartment, we broke out into an excla¬
mation of surprise and admiration. At Uxmal there
KAB AH.
Interior of Centre. Room 1 st Casa.
Toll. Paye, 391.
apartments.
391
was no variety; the interiors of all the apartments
were the same. Here we were presented with a
scene entirely new. The plate opposite represents
the interior of this apartment. It consists of two
parallel chambers, the one in front being twenty-
seven feet long and ten feet six inches wide, and
the other of the same length, but a few inches nar¬
rower, communicating by a door in the centre.
The inner room is raised two feet eight inches
higher than the front, and the ascent is by two
stone steps carved out of a single block of stone, the
lower one being in the form of a scroll. The sides
of the steps are ornamented with sculpture, as is
also the wall under the doorway. The whole de¬
sign is graceful and pretty, and, as a mere matter
of taste, the effect is extremely good. Here, on the
first day of our arrival, we spread out our provisions,
and ate to the memory of the former tenant. His
own domains could not furnish us with water, and
we were supplied from the wells of Nohcacab.
In the engraving but one doorway appears on
each side of the centre, the front wall at the two
ends having fallen. On both sides of this centre
doorway were two other doorways opening into
apartments. Each apartment contains two cham¬
bers, with the back one raised, but there are no
steps, and the only ornament is a row of small pi¬
lasters about two feet high under the door, and run¬
ning the whole length of the room.
Such is a brief description of the facade and front
392
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
apartments, and these formed not more than one
third of the building. At the rear and under the
same roof were two ranges of apartments of the
same dimensions with those just described, and
having a rectangular area in front. The whole
edifice formed nearly a square, and though having
less front, with a great solid mass, nearly as thick as
one of the corridors, for the centre wall, it covered
nearly as many square feet as the Casa del Goberna-
dor, and probably, from its lavishness of ornament,
contained more sculptured stone. The rest of the
building, however, was in a much more ruinous con¬
dition than that presented. At both ends the wall
had fallen, and the whole of the other front, with
the roof, and the ruins filled up the apartments so
that it was extremely difficult to make out the plan.
The whole of the terrace on this latter side is over¬
grown with trees, some of which have taken root
among the fragments, and are growing out of the in¬
terior of the chambers.
The sketch opposite will give some idea of the
manner in which the rankness of tropical vegetation
is hurrying to destruction these interesting remains.
The tree is called the alamo, or elm, the leaves of
which, with those of the ramon, form in that coun¬
try the principal fodder for horses. Springing up
beside the front wall, its fibres crept into cracks and
crevices, and became shoots and branches, which, as
the trunk rose, in struggling to rise with it, unset¬
tled and overturned the wall, and still grew, carry-
RUINED BUILDING CALLED THE COCINA. 395
ing up large stones fast locked in their embraces,
which they now hold aloft in the air. At the same
time, its roots have girded the foundation wall, and
form the only support of what is left. The great,
branches overshadowing the whole cannot be exhib¬
ited in the plate, and no sketch can convey a true
idea of the ruthless gripe in which these gnarled and
twisted roots encircle sculptured stones.
Such is a brief description of the first building at
Kabah. To many of these structures the Indians
have given names stupid, senseless, and unmeaning,
having no reference to history or tradition. This
one they call Xcoapoop, which means in Spanish
petato doblade, or a straw hat doubled up ; the name
having reference to the crushed and flattened con¬
dition of the facade and the prostration of the rear
wall of the building.
Descending the corner of the back terrace, at the
distance of a few paces rises a broken and over¬
grown mound, on which stands a ruined building,
called by the Indians the cocina, or kitchen, be¬
cause, as they said, it had chimneys to let out smoke.
According to their accounts, it must have contained
something curious; and it was peculiarly unfortu¬
nate that we had not reached it one year sooner,
for then it stood entire. During the last rainy sea¬
son some muleteers from Merida, scouring the coun¬
try in search of maize, were overtaken by the after¬
noon’s rain, and took shelter under its roof, turning
their mules out to graze among the ruins. During
396
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL
the night the building fell, but, fortunately, the mu¬
leteers escaped unhurt, and, leaving their mules be¬
hind them, in the darkness and rain made the best of
their way to Nohcacab, reporting that El Demonio
was among the ruins of Kabah.
On the left of this mound is a staircase leading
down to the area of Casa No. 2, and on the right
is a grand and majestic pile of buildings, having no
name assigned to it, and which, perhaps, when en¬
tire, was the most imposing structure at Kabah. It
measured at the base one hundred and forty-seven
feet on one side amd one hundred and six on the
other, and consisted of three distinct stories or
ranges, one on the roof of the other, the second
smaller than the first, and the third smaller than the
second, having on each side a broad platform in
front. Along the base on all four of the sides was
a continuous range of apartments, with the door¬
ways supported by pillars, and on the side fronting
the rear of Casa No. 1 was another new and inter¬
esting feature.
This was a gigantic stone staircase, rising to the
roof, on which stood the second range of apart¬
ments. This staircase was not a solid mass, resting
against the wall of the mound, but was supported
by the half of a triangular arch springing from the
ground, and resting against the wall so as to leave
a passage under the staircase. This staircase was
interesting not only for its own grandeur and the
novelty of its construction, but as explaining what
~dan, ScMcCLpvn^Sc.
RANGES OF BUILDINGS.
397
had before been unintelligible in regard to the prin¬
cipal staircase in the House of the Dwarf at Uxmal.
The steps of this staircase are nearly all fallen,
and the ascent is as on an inclined plane. The
buildings on the top are ruined, and many of the
doorways so encumbered that there was barely room
to crawl into them. On one occasion, while clear¬
ing around this so as to make a plan, rain came on,
and I was obliged to crawl into one with all the In¬
dians, and remain in the dark, breathing a damp
and unwholesome atmosphere, pent up and almost
stifled, for more than an hour.
The doorways of the ranges on the north side
of this mound opened upon the area of Casa No 2.
. The platform of this area is one hundred and seventy
feet long, one hundred and ten broad, and is eleva¬
ted ten feet from the ground. It had been planted
with corn, and required little clearing. The plate
opposite represents the front of this building, and the
picote, or great stone found thrown down in all the
courtyards and areas, is exhibited on one side in the
engraving. The edifice stands upon an upper ter¬
race ; forming a breastwork for which, and run¬
ning the whole length, one hundred and sixty-four
feet, is a range of apartments, with their doors open¬
ing upon the area. The front wall and the roof of
this range have nearly all fallen.
A ruined staircase rises from the centre of the
platform to the roof of this range, which forms the
platform in front of the principal building.
34
398
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
This staircase, like that last mentioned, is sup¬
ported by the half of a triangular arch, precisely like
the other already mentioned. The whole front
was ornamented with sculpture, and the ornaments
best preserved are over the doorway of the centre
apartment, which, being underneath the staircase,
cannot be exhibited in the engraving.
The principal building, it will be seen, has pillars
in two of its doorways. At this place, for the first
time, we met with pillars used legitimately, accord¬
ing to the rules of known architecture, as a support,
and they added greatly to the interest which the
other novelties here disclosed to us presented.
These pillars, however, were but six feet high,
rude and unpolished, with square blocks of stone
for capitals and pedestals. They wanted the ar¬
chitectural majesty and grandeur which in other
styles is always connected with the presence of pil¬
lars, but they were not out of proportion, and, in
fact, were adapted to the lowness of the building.
The lintels over the doors are of stone.
Leaving this building, and crossing an overgrown
and wooded plain, at the distance of about three
hundred and fifty yards we reach the terrace of
Casa No. 3. The platform of this terrace, too, had
been planted with corn, and was easily cleared.
The plate opposite represents the front of the edifice,
which, when we first came upon it, was so beauti¬
fully shrouded by trees that it was painful to be
obliged to disturb them, and we spared every branch
A SOLITARY ARCH.
399
that did not obstruct the view. While Mr. Cather-
wood was making his drawing, rain came on, and,
as he might not be able to get his camera lucida in
position again, he continued his work, with the pro¬
tection of an India-rubber cloak and an Indian hold¬
ing an umbrella over the stand. The rain was of
that sudden and violent character often met with in
tropical climates, and in a few minutes flooded the
whole ground. The washing of the water from the
upper terrace appears in the engraving.
This building is called by the Indians la Casa de
la Justicia. It is one hundred and thirteen feet
long. There are five apartments, each twenty feet
long and nine wide, and all perfectly plain. The
front is plain, except the pillars in the wall between
the doorways indicated in the engraving; and
above, in front, at the end, and on the back are
rows of small pillars, forming a simple and not in¬
elegant ornament.
Besides these, there are on this side of the cam-
ino real the remains of other buildings, but all in a
ruinous condition, and there is one monument, per¬
haps more curious and interesting than any that has
been presented. It is a lonely arch, of the same
form with all the rest, having a span of fourteen
feet. It stands on a ruined mound, disconnected
from every other structure, in solitary grandeur.
Darkness rests upon its history, but in that desola¬
tion and solitude, among the ruins around, it stood
like the proud memorial of a Roman triumph.
400
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Perhaps, like the arch of Titus, which at this day
spans the Sacred Way at Rome, it was erected to
commemorate a victory over enemies.
These were all the principal remains on this side
of the camino real; they were all to which our In¬
dian guides conducted us, and, excepting two men¬
tioned hereafter, they were all of which, up to that
time, any knowledge existed; but on the other side
of the camino real, shrouded by trees, were the
trembling and tottering skeletons of buildings which
had once been grander than these.
AN EXPLOIT.
401
From the top of the great teocalis we had our
first glimpses of these edifices. Following the cam-
ino real to a point about in a range with the tri¬
umphal arch, there is a narrow path which leads to
two buildings enclosed by a fence for a milpa.
They are small, and but little ornamented. They
stand at right angles to each other, and in front of
them is a patio, in which is a large broken orifice,
like the mouth of a cave, with a tree growing near
the edge of it. My first visit to this place was
marked by a brilliant exploit on the part of my
horse. On dismounting, Mr. Catherwood found
shade for his horse, Doctor Cabot got his into one
of the buildings, and I tied mine to this tree, giving
him fifteen or twenty feet of halter as a range for
pasture. Here we left them, but on our return in
the evening my horse was missing, and, as we sup¬
posed, stolen ; but before we reached the tree I saw
the halter still attached to it, and knew that an In¬
dian would be much more likely to steal the halter
and leave the horse than vice versa. The halter
was drawn down into the mouth of the cave, and
looking over the edge, I saw the horse hanging at
the other end, with just rope enough, by stretching
his head and neck, to keep a foothold at one side
of the cave. One of his sides was scratched and
grimed with dirt, and it seemed as if every bone in
his body must be broken, but on getting him out we
found that, except some scarifications of the skin, he
was not at all hurt; in fact, he was quite the reverse,
Vol. I.—E E E
402
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
and never moved better than on our return to the
village.
Beyond these buildings, none of the Indians knew
of any ruins. Striking directly from them in a
westerly direction through a thick piece of woods,
without being able to see anything, but from ob¬
servation taken from the top of the teocalis, and
passing a small ruined building with a staircase
leading to the roof, we reached a great terrace, per¬
haps eight hundred feet long and one hundred feet
wide. This terrace, besides being overgrown with
trees, was covered with thorn-bushes, and the ma¬
guey plant, or Agave Americana, with points as sharp
as needles, which made it impossible to move with¬
out cutting the way at every step.
Two buildings stood upon this overgrown terrace.
The first was two hundred and seventeen feet long,
having seven doorways in front, all opening to single
apartments except the centre one, which had two
apartments, each thirty feet long. In the rear were
other apartments, with doorways opening upon a
courtyard, and from the centre a range of buildings
ran at right angles, terminating in a large ruined
mound. The wall of the whole of this great pile
had been more ornamented than either of the build¬
ings before presented except the first, but, unfortu¬
nately, it was more dilapidated. The doorways had
wooden lintels, most of which have fallen.
To the north of this building is another, one hun¬
dred and forty-two feet in front and thirty-one feet
SCULPTURED LINTEL.
403
deep, with double corridors communicating, and a
gigantic staircase in the centre leading to the roof,
on which are the ruins of another building. The
doors of two centre apartments open under the arch
of this great staircase. In that on the right we
again found the prints of the red hand; not a single
print, or two, or three, as in other places, but the
whole wall was covered with them, bright and dis¬
tinct as if but newly made.
All the lintels over the doorways are of wood, and
all are still in their places, mostly sound and solid.
The doorways were encumbered with rubbish and
ruins. That nearest the staircase was filled up to
within three feet of the lintel; and, in crawling un¬
der on his back, to measure the apartment, Mr.
Catherwood’s eye was arrested by a sculptured lin¬
tel, which, on examination, he considered the most
interesting memorial we had found in Yucatan.
On my return that day from a visit to three more
ruined cities entirely unknown before, he claimed
this lintel as equal in interest and value to all of
them together. The next day I saw them, and de¬
termined immediately, at any trouble or cost, to
carry them home with me; but this was no easy
matter. Our operations created much discussion in
the village. The general belief was that we were
searching for gold. No one could believe that we
were expending money in such a business without
being sure of getting it back again; and remember¬
ing the fate of my castings at Palenque, I was afraid
404
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
to have it known that there was anything worth
carrying away.
To get them out by our own efforts, however,
was impossible; and, after conferring with the pa-
drecito, we procured a good set of men, and went
down with crowbars for the purpose of working
them out of the wall. Doctor Cabot, who had been
confined to the village for several days by illness,
turned out on this great occasion.
The lintel consisted of two beams, and the outer
one was split in two lengthwise. They lapped over
the doorway about a foot at each end, and were as
firmly secured as any stones in the building, having
been built in when the wall was constructed. For¬
tunately, we had two crowbars, and the doorway
being filled up with earth both inside and out, the
men were enabled to stand above the beam, and use
the crowbars to advantage. They began inside, and
in about two hours cleared the lintel directly over
the doorway, but the ends were still firmly secured.
The beams were about ten feet long, and to keep
the whole wall from falling and crushing them, it
was necessary to knock away the stones over the
centre, and make an arch in proportion to the base.
The wall was four feet thick over the doorway, in¬
creasing in thickness with the receding of the inner
arch, and the whole was a solid mass, the mortar
being nearly as hard as the stone. As the breach
was enlarged it became dangerous to stand near it;
the crowbar had to be thrown aside, and the men
: fife,
F. Catherwood..
KABAK.
CarvtcL B&orrb of Sopote, Wood.
VoZl. Page> 405
A TRYING TIME.
405
cut down small trees, which they used as a sort of
battering-ram, striking at the mortar and small
stones used for filling up, on loosening which the
larger stones fell. To save the beams, we con¬
structed an inclined plane two or three feet above
them, resting against the inner wall, which caught
the stones and carried them off. As the breach in¬
creased it became really dangerous to work under
it, and one of the men refused to do so any longer.
The beams were almost within my grasp, but if the
ragged mass above should fall, it would certainly
bury the beams and the men too, either of which
would be disagreeable. Fortunately, we had the
best set of assistants that ever came out to us from
Nohcacab, and their pride was enlisted in the cause.
At length, almost against hope, having broken a
rude arch almost to the roof, the inner beam was
got out uninjured. Still the others were not safe,
but, with great labour, anxiety, and good fortune, the
whole three at length lay before us, with their sculp¬
tured faces uppermost. We did no more work that
day; we had hardly changed our positions, but, from
the excitement and anxiety, it was one of the most
trying times we had in the country.
The next day, knowing the difficulty and risk
that must attend their transportation, we had the
beams set up for Mr. Catherwood to draw.
The plate opposite represents this lintel, indica¬
ted in the engraving as three pieces of wood, but
originally consisting of only two, that on which the
406
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
figure is carved being split through the middle by
some unequal pressure of the great superincumbent
wall. The top of the outer part was worm-eaten
and decayed, probably from the trickling of water,
which, following some channel in the ornaments,
touched only this part; all the rest was sound and
solid.
The subject is a human figure standing upon a
serpent. The face was scratched, worn, and oblit¬
erated, the headdress was a plume of feathers, and
the general character of the figure and ornaments
was the same with that of the figures found on the
walls at Palenque. It was the first subject we had
discovered bearing such a striking resemblance in
details, and connecting so closely together the build¬
ers of these distant cities.
But the great interest of this lintel was the car¬
ving. The beam covered with hieroglyphics at
Uxmal was faded and worn. This was still in ex¬
cellent preservation ; the lines were clear and dis¬
tinct ; and the cutting, under any test, and without
any reference to the people by whom it was exe¬
cuted, would be considered as indicating great skill
and proficiency in the art of carving on wood.
The consciousness that the only way to give a true
idea of the character of this carving was the pro¬
duction of the beams themselves, determined me to
spare neither labour nor expense to have them trans¬
ported to this city ; and when we had finished our
whole exploration, we were satisfied that these were
FATE OF THE LINTEL.
407
the most interesting specimens the country afforded.
I had the sculptured sides packed in dry grass and
covered with hemp bagging, and intended to pass
them through the village without stopping, but the
Indians engaged for that purpose left them two days
on the ground exposed to heavy rain, and I was
obliged to have them brought to the convent, where
the grass was taken out and dried. The first morn¬
ing one or two hundred Indians at work at the no-
ria came up in a body to look at them. It was sev¬
eral days before I could get them away, but, to my
great relief, they at length left the village on the
shoulders of Indians, and I brought them with me
safely to this city. The reader anticipates my con¬
clusion, and if he have but a shade of sympathy
with the writer, he mourns over the melancholy fate
that overtook them but a short time after their ar¬
rival.
The accidental discovery of these sculptured
beams, and in a position where we had no reason
to look for such things, induced us to be more care¬
ful than ever in our examination of every part of
the building. The lintel over the corresponding
doorway on the other side of the staircase was still
in its place, and in good condition, but perfectly
plain, and there was no other sculptured lintel
among all the ruins of Kabah. Why this particu¬
lar doorway was so distinguished it is impossible to
say. The character of this sculpture added to the
interest and wonder of all that was connected with
408
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
the exploration of these American ruins. There is
no account of the existence of iron or steel among
the aborigines on'this continent. The general and
well-grounded belief is, that the inhabitants had no
knowledge whatever of these metals. How, then,
could they carve wood, and that of the hardest kind ?
In that large canoe which first made known to
Columbus the existence of this great continent,
among other fabrics of the country from which they
came, the Spaniards remarked hatchets of copper,
as it is expressed, for “ hewing wood.” Bernal Dias,
in his account of the first voyage of the Spaniards
along the coast of Guacaulco, in the Empire of Mex¬
ico, says, “ It was a Custom of the Indians of this
Province invariably to carry small Hatchets of Cop¬
per, very bright, and the wooden Handles of which
were highly painted, as intended both for Defence
and Ornament. These were supposed by us to be
Gold, and were, of Course, eagerly purchased, inso¬
much that within three days we had amongst us pro¬
cured above six hundred, and were, while under the
Mistake, as well pleased with our Bargain as the
Indians with their green Beads.” And in that col¬
lection of interesting relics from Peru before referred
to, in the possession of Mr. Blake of Boston—the ex¬
istence of which, by-the-way, from the unobtrusive
character of its owner, is hardly known to his neigh¬
bours in his own city—in that collection are several
copper knives, one of which is alloyed with a small
portion of tin, and sufficiently hard to cut wood.
ORNAMENT IN STUCCO.
409
In other cemeteries in the same district, Mr. Blake
found several copper instruments resembling modern
chisels, which, it is not improbable, were designed
for carving wood. In my opinion, the carving of
these beams was done with the copper instruments
known to have existed among the aboriginal inhab¬
itants, and it is not necessary to suppose, without
and even against all evidence, that at some remote
period of time the use of iron and steel was known
on this continent, and that the knowledge had be¬
come lost among the later inhabitants.
From the great terrace a large structure is seen
at a distance indistinctly through the trees, and,
pointing it out to an Indian, I set out with him to
examine it. Descending among the trees, we soon
lost sight of it entirely, but, pursuing the direction,
the Indian cutting a way with his machete, we
came upon a building, which, however, I discover¬
ed, was not the one we were in search of. It was
about ninety feet in front, the walls were cracked,
and all along the base the ground was strewed with
sculptured stones, the carving of which was equal
to any we had seen. Before reaching the door I
crawled through a fissure in the wall into an apart¬
ment, at one end of which, in the arch, I saw an
enormous hornet’s nest; and in turning to take a
hasty leave, saw at the opposite end a large orna¬
ment in stucco, having also a hornet’s nest at¬
tached to it, painted, the colours being still bright
and vivid, and surprising me as much as the sculp-
Vol. I.—F f f 35
410
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
tured beams. A great part had fallen, and it had
the appearance of having been wantonly destroy¬
ed. The engraving below represents this fragment.
The ornament, when entire, appears to have been
intended to represent two large eagles facing each
other; on each side are seen drooping plumes of
feathers. The opposite end of the arch, where
hung the hornet’s nest, had marks of stucco in the
same form, and probably once contained a corre¬
sponding ornament.
Beyond this was the great building which we had
set out to find. The front was still standing, in
some places, particularly on the corner, richly orna¬
mented ; but the back part was a heap of ruins. In
the centre was a gigantic staircase leading to the
top, on which there was another building with two
SCULPTURED JAMBS.
411
ranges of apartments, the outer one fallen, the inner
one entire.
In descending on the other side over a mass of
ruins, I found at one corner a deep hole, which ap¬
parently led into a cave, but, crawling down, I found
that it conducted to the buried door of a chamber
on a new and curious plan. It had a raised platform
about four feet high, and in each of the inner cor¬
ners was a rounded vacant place, about large enough
for a man to stand in; pari of the back wall was
covered with prints of the red hand. They seem¬
ed so fresh, and the seams and creases were so dis¬
tinct, that I made several attempts with the machete
to get one print off entire, but the plaster was so
hard that every effort failed.
Beyond this was another building, so unpretending
in its appearance compared with the first, that, but
for the uncertainty in regard to what might be found
in every part of these ruins, I should hardly have no¬
ticed it. This building had but one doorway, which
was nearly choked up; but on passing into it I no¬
ticed sculptured on the jambs, nearly buried, a pro¬
truding corner of a plume of feathers. This I im¬
mediately supposed to be a headdress, and that be¬
low was a sculptured human figure. This, again,
was entirely new. The jambs of all the doors we
had hitherto seen were plain. By closer inspection
I found on the opposite jamb a corresponding stone,
but entirely buried. The top stone of both was
missing, but I found them near by, and determined
412
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
immediately to excavate the parts that were buried,
and carry the whole away; but it was a more diffi¬
cult business than that of getting out the beams. A
solid mound of earth descended from the outside to
the back wall of the apartment, choking the door¬
way to within a few feet of the top. To clear the
whole doorway was out of the question, for the In¬
dians had only their hands with which to scoop out
the accumulated mass. The only way was to dig
down beside each stone, then separate it from the
wall with the crowbar, and pry it out. I was enga¬
ged in this work two entire days, and on the sec¬
ond the Indians wanted to abandon it. They had
dug down nearly to the bottom, and one man in the
hole refused to work any longer. To keep them
together and not lose another day, I was obliged to
labour myself; and late in the afternoon we got out
the stones, with poles for levers, lifted them over the
mound, and set them up against the back wall.
The plates opposite represent these two jambs as
they stood facing each other in the doorway. Each
consists of two separate stones, as indicated in the
engravings. In each the upper stone is one foot
five inches high, and the lower one four feet six
inches, and both are two feet three inches wide.
The subject consists of two figures, one standing,
and the other kneeling before him. Both have un¬
natural and grotesque faces, probably containing
some symbolical meaning. The headdress is a lofty
plume of feathers, falling to the heels of the stand-
KAB AH
Figure on jamb of Doorway.
Tol l.Fage 4-l.Z
KABAH.
Figisires onjcoml) of Uoo'nvay.
Toll. Page, 413.
JTPl.
.
ANOTHER WITNESS FOR THESE RUINS. 413
ing figure; and under his feet is a row of hiero¬
glyphics.
While toiling to bring to light these buried stones,.
I little thought that I was raising up another wit¬
ness to speak for the builders of these ruined cities.
The reader will notice in the first engraving a weap¬
on in the hands of the kneeling figure. In that
same large canoe before referred to, Herrera says,
the Indians had “ Swords made of Wood, having a
Gutter in the fore Part, in which were sharp-edged
Flints, strongly fixed with a sort of Bitumen and
Thread.” The same weapon is described in every
account of the aboriginal weapons; it is seen in
every museum of Indian curiosities, and it is in use
at this day among the Indians of the South Sea Isl¬
ands. The sword borne by the figure represented
in the engraving is precisely of the kind described
by Herrera. I was not searching for testimony to>
establish any opinion or theory. There was inter¬
est enough in exploring these ruins without attempt¬
ing to do so, and this witness rose unbidden.
In lifting these stones out of the holes and set¬
ting them up against the walls, I had been obliged
to assist myself, and almost the moment it was fin¬
ished I found that the fatigue and excitement had
been too much for me. My bones ached; a chill
crept over me; I looked around for a soft stone to
lie down upon; but the place was cold and damp,
and rain was threatening. I saddled my horse, and
when I mounted I could barely keep my seat. I
414
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
had no spurs; my horse seemed to know my condi¬
tion, and went on a slow walk, nibbling at every
bush. The fever came on, and I was obliged to
dismount and lie down under a bush; but the gar-
rapatas drove me away. At length I reached the
village, and this was my last visit to Kabah; but I
have already finished a description of its ruins.
Doubtless more lie buried in the woods, and the
next visiter, beginning where we left off, if he be at
all imbued with interest in this subject, will push his
investigations much farther. We were groping in
the dark. Since the hour of their desolation and
wo came upon them, these buildings had remained
unknown. Except the cura Carillo, who first in¬
formed us of them, perhaps no white man had wan¬
dered through their silent chambers. We were the
first to throw open the portals of their grave, and
they are now for the first time presented to the pub¬
lic.
But I can do little more than state the naked fact
of their existence. The cloud which hangs over
their history is much darker than that resting over
the ruins of Uxmal. I can only say of them that
they lie on the common lands of the village of Noh-
cacab. Perhaps they have been known to the In¬
dians from time immemorial; but, as the padrecito
told us, until the opening of the camino real to Bo-
lonchen they were utterly unknown to the white
inhabitants. This road passed through the ancient
city, and discovered the great buildings, overgrown,
RECENT DISCOVERY OF KABAH. 415
and in some places towering above the tops of the
trees. The discovery, however, created not the
slightest sensation ; the intelligence of it had never
reached the capital; and though, ever since the dis¬
covery, the great edifices were visible to all who pass¬
ed along the road, not a white man in the village had
ever turned aside to look at them, except the padre-
cito, who, on the first day of our visit, rode in, but
without dismounting, in order to make a report to
us. The Indians say of them, as of all the other
ruins, that they are the works of the antiguos ; but
the traditionary character of the city is that of a
great place, superior to the other Xlap-pahk scatter¬
ed over the country, coequal and coexistent with
Uxmal; and there is a tradition of a great paved
way, made of pure white stone, called in the Maya
language Sacbe, leading from Kabah to Uxmal, on
which the lords of those places sent messengers to
and fro, bearing letters written on the leaves and
bark of trees.
At the time of my attack, Mr. Catherwood, Doc¬
tor Cabot, and Albino were all down with fever. I
had a recurrence the next day, but on the third I
was able to move about. The spectacle around was
gloomy for sick men. From the long continuance
of the rainy season our rooms in the convent were
damp, and corn which we kept in one corner for
the horses had swelled and sprouted.
Death was all around us. Anciently this coun¬
try was so healthy that Torquemada says, “ Men die
416 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
of pure old age, for there are none of those infirmi¬
ties that exist in other lands; and if there are slight
infirmities, the heat destroys them, and so there is
no need of a physician there;” but the times are
much better for physicians now, and Doctor Cabot,
if he had been able to attend to it, might have en¬
tered into an extensive gratuitous practice. Ad¬
joining the front of the church, and connecting
with the convent, was a great charnel-house, along
the wall of which was a row of skulk. At the top
of a pillar forming the abutment of the wall of the
A GREAT CHARNEL HOUSE. 417
staircase was a large vase piled full, and the cross was
surmounted with them. Within the enclosure was
a promiscuous assemblage of skulls and bones sev¬
eral feet deep. Along the wall, hanging by cords,
were the bones and skulls of individuals in boxes
and baskets, or tied up in cloths, with names writ¬
ten upon them, and, as at Ticul, there were the frag¬
ments of dresses, while some of the skulls had still
adhering to them the long black hair of women.
The floor of the church was interspersed with
long patches of cement, which covered graves, and
near one of the altars was a box with a glass case,
within which were the bones of a woman, the wife
of a lively old gentleman whom we were in the
habit of seeing every day. They were clean and
bright as if polished, with the skull and cross-bones
in front, the legs and arms laid on the bottom, and
the ribs disposed regularly in order, one above the
other, as in life, having been so arranged by the
husband himself; a strange attention, as it seemed,
to a deceased wife. At the side of the case was a
black board, containing a poetical inscription (in
Spanish) written by him.
“ Stop, mortal!
Look at yourself in this mirror,
And in its pale reflection
Behold your end!
This eclipsed crystal
Had splendour and brilliancy;
But the dreadful blow
Of a fatal destiny
Fell upon Manuela Carillo.
VOL. I.— G G G
418
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
Bom in Nohcacab in the year 1789, married at the same village to
Victoriano Machado in 1808, and died on the first of August, 1833,
after a union of 25 years, and in the forty-fourth of her age.
He implores your pious prayers.”
The widowed husband wrote several stanzas
more, but could not get them on the black board;
and made copies for private distribution, one of
which is in my hands.
Near this were the bones of a brother of our
friend the cura of Ticul and those of a child, and
in the choir of the church, in the embrazure of a
large window, were rows of skulls, all labelled on
the forehead, and containing startling inscriptions.
I took up one, and staring me in the face were the
words, “ Soy Pedro Moreno: un Ave Maria y un
Padre nuestro por Dios, hermano.” “ I am Peter
Moreno : an Ave Maria and Paternoster for God’s
sake, brother.” Another said, “ I am Apolono Bal-
ROWS OF HUMAN SKULLS.
419
che: a Paternoster and an Ave Maria for God’s
sake, brother.” This was an old schoolmaster of
the padrecito, who had died but two years before.
The padrecito handed me another, which said,
“ I am Bartola Arana : a Paternoster,” &c. This
was the skull of a Spanish lady whom he had
known, young and beautiful, but it could not be dis¬
tinguished from that of the oldest and ugliest Indian
woman. “ I am Anizetta Bib,” was that of a pretty
young Indian girl whom he had married, and who
died but a year afterward. I took them all up one
by one; the padrecito knew them all; one was
young, another old; one rich, another poor; one
ugly, and another beautiful; but here they were all
alike. Every skull bore the name of its owner, and
all begged a prayer.
One said, “I am Richard Joseph de la Merced
Truxeque and Arana, who died the twenty-ninth
of April of the year 1838, and I am enjoying the
kingdom of God forever.” This was the skull of a
child, which, dying without sin, had ascended to
heaven, and needed not the prayers of man.
In one corner was a mourning box, painted black,
with a white border, containing the skull of an un¬
cle of the padrecito. On it was written in Span¬
ish, “In this box is enclosed the skull of Friar Vi¬
cente Ortigon, who died in the village of Cuhul in
the year 1820. I beseech thee, pious and charita¬
ble reader, to intercede with God for his soul, re¬
peating an Ave Maria and a Paternoster, that he
420
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
may be released from purgatory, if he should be
there, and may go to enjoy the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever the reader may be, God will reward his
charity. 26th of July, 1837.” The writing bore
the name of Juana Hernandez, the mother of the
deceased, an old lady then living in the house of
the mother of the padrecito.
Accustomed as we were to hold sacred the bones
of the dead, the slightest memorial of a departed
friend accidentally presented to view bringing with it
a shade of sadness, such an exhibition grated harshly
upon the feelings. I asked the padrecito why these
skulls were not permitted to rest in peace, and he
answered, what is perhaps but too true, that in the
grave they are forgotten; but when dug up and
placed in sight with labels on them, they remind the
living of their former existence, of their uncertain
state—that their souls may be in purgatory—and
appeal to their friends, as with voices from the grave,
to pray for them, and have masses said for their
souls. It is for this reason, and not from any feel¬
ing of wantonness or disrespect, that the skulls of
the dead are thus exposed all over the country. On
the second of November, at the celebration of the
fete in commemoration de los jieles difuntos, all
these skulls are, brought together and put into the
tumulo, a sort of bier hung with black and lighted
by blessed candles, and grand mass is said for their
souls.
In the afternoon the padrecito passed our door in
*
A FUNERAL PROCESSION.
421
his robes, and, looking in, as he usually did, said,
“Voyabuscarunmuerto,” “I am going for a corpse.”
The platform of the church was the campo santo;
every day the grave-digger was at his work, and
soon after the padrecito left us we heard the chant
heralding the funeral procession. I went out, and
saw it coming up the steps, the padrecito leading
it and chanting the funeral service. The corpse
was brought into the church, and, the service over,
it was borne to the grave. The sacristans were so
intoxicated that they let it fall in with its neck
twisted. The padrecito sprinkled it with holy wa¬
ter, and, the chant over, went away. The Indians
around the grave looked at me with an expression
of face I could not understand. They had told the
padrecito that we had brought death into the vil¬
lage. In a spirit of conciliation I smiled at a wom¬
an near me, and she answered with a laugh. I
carried my smile slowly around the whole circle;
as my eyes met theirs, all burst into a laugh, and
while the body lay uncovered and distorted in the
grave I went away. With these people death is
merely one of the accidents of life. “Voyadescan-
sar,” “I am going to rest,” “Mis trabajos son acaba-
dos,” “ My labours are ended,” are the words of the
Indian as he lies down to die ; but to the stranger
in that country death is the king of terrors.
In the mean time pleasure was treading lightly
upon the heels of death. The fiesta of Santo Cris-
to del Amor was still going on, and it was to con-
36
422
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
elude the next day with a baile de dia, or ball by
daylight, at the place where it began, in the house
of the patron. We were busy in making prepara¬
tions for our departure from Nohcacab, and, though
strongly solicited, I was the only one of our party
able to attend. Early in the morning the saint was
in its place at one end of the room, the altar was
adorned with fresh flowers, and the arbour for dan¬
cing was covered with palm leaves to protect it
from the sun. Under a shed in the yard was a
crowd of Indian women making tortillas, and pre¬
paring dishes of various kinds for a general village
feast. At twelve o’clock the ball began, a little be¬
fore two the padrecito disappeared from my side,
and soon after the ball broke up, and all moved to¬
ward the house. When I entered, the padrecito
was in his robes before the image of the saint, sing¬
ing a salve. The Indian sexton was perfuming it
with incense, and the dancers were all on their
knees before it, each with a lighted candle in her
hand. This over, came the procession de las velas,
or of the candles. The cross led the way; then
the figure of the saint, a drunken Indian sexton
perfuming it with incense. The padrecito, in ta¬
king his place behind it, took my arm and carried
me along; the patron of the saint supported me on
the other side. We were the only men in the pro¬
cession. An irregular troop of women followed, all
in their ball dresses, and bearing long lighted can¬
dles. Moving on to the church, we restored the
A STRANGE PROCESSION.
423
saint to his altar, and set up the candles in rough
wooden tripods, to be ready for grand mass the next
morning. At this time a discharge of rockets was
heard without, and going out, I saw another strange
procession. We had all the women; this was com¬
posed entirely of men, and might have passed for a
jubilee over the downfall of temperance. Nearly
all were more than half intoxicated; and I noticed
that some who had kept sober during the whole of
the fiesta were overtaken at last. The procession
was preceded by files of them in couples, each car¬
rying two plates, for the purpose of receiving some
of the dishes provided, by the bounty of the patron.
Next came, borne on barrows on the shoulders of
Indians, two long, ugly boxes, the emblems of the
custody and property of the saint, one of them being
filled with wax received as offerings, ropes for the
fireworks, and other property belonging to the saint,
which were about being carried to the house of the
person now entitled to their custody; and the other
had contained these things, and was to remain with
its present keeper as a sort of holy heirloom. Be¬
hind these, also on the shoulders of Indians, were
two men, sitting side by side in large arm-chairs,
with scarfs around their necks, and holding on des¬
perately to the arms of the chairs, with an expres¬
sion of face that seemed to indicate a consciousness
that their elevation above their fellow-citizens was
precarious, and of uncertain duration, for their In¬
dian carriers were reeling and staggering under their
424
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
load and agua ardiente. These were the hermanos
de la misa, or brothers of the mass, the last incum¬
bent of the office of the keeper of the box and his
successor, to whom it was to be delivered over.
Moving on with uproarious noise and confusion,
they were set down under the corridor of the quarteL
In the mean time our procession of women from
the church had arrived, the musicians took their
places under the corridor, and preparations were
immediately made for another dance. Cocom, who
had acted as our guide to Nohpat, and had repaired
the locks and keys of our boxes, was master of cer¬
emonies ; and the first dance over, two Mestiza
girls commenced a song. The whole village seemed
given up to the pleasure of the moment; there were
features to offend the sight and taste, but there were
pretty women prettily dressed ; in all there was an
air of abandonment and freedom from care that en¬
listed sympathetic feelings ; and as the padrecito
and myself returned to the convent, the chorus
reached us on the steps, soft and sweet from the
blending of women’s voices, and seeming to spring
from the bottom of every heart,
“ Que bonito es el mundo;
Lastima es que yo me muera.”
“ How beautiful is the world ;
It is a pity that I must die.”
APPENDIX. VOL. I
THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS.
Temperature of Merida, according to observations taken by the cura
Don Eusebio Villamil, for one year, beginning on the 1st of September,
1841, and ending on the 31st of August, 1842. The observations were
taken with a Fahrenheit thermometer at six in the morning, midday, and
six in the evening. The thermometer stood in the shade, in an apartment
well ventilated.
SF.PTr.MT^RR 1842.
Days
. Morn.
Noon.
Even.
1 Days.
Morn.
Noon.
Even.
Days.
1,
Morn.
80°
—, —
Noon.
84°
Even.
84°
1 7,
8,
81°
81
84°
84
82°
82
13,
14,
77°
80
80°
80
80°
80
2,
80
84
83
9,
80
84
82
15,
78
79
79
3,
80
84
83
10,
80
84
83
16,
74
78
78
4,
80
84
82
11,
80
85
84
17,
74
78
78
5,
80
84
83
12,
82
85
84
18,
72
77
77
6,
81
85
84
13,
80
84
84
19,
73
79
79
J
7.
81
84
82
14,
80
84
84
20,
75
79
79
8
81
86
85
15,
81
84
84
21,
78
82
82
9,
81
85
84
16,
81
84
83
22,
80
83
82
10,
82
85
85
17,
80
83
83
23,
80
84
83
11,
83
85
84
18,
81
83
83
1 24,
79
82
82
12,
82
85
84
19,
81
84
84
25,
80
83
83
13,
82
85
85
20,
82
83
81
26,
79
82
80
14,
82
86
85
21,
80
81
80
27,
79
78
78
* >
15,
82
86
85
22,
78
80
78
28,
78
76
75
j
16,
17,
83
86
85
23,
76
78
78
29,
73
73
74
83
85
84
24,
76
78
78
30,
73
74
74
18,
83
85
84
*,
7 6
76
76
19,
83
85
84
26,
74
76
76
DECEMBER.
20,
21,
22,
23,
24,
84
84
84
84
84
86
86
86
86
85
85
86
84
86
83
27,
»,
29,
30,
31,
74
76
77
78
81
78
80
81
81
82
78
79
80
81
82
1,
S;
i:
72°
73
73
78
75
74°
77
79
79
76
74°
77
79
79
75
25,
80
84
83
6,
72
74
74
26,
80
85
83
NOVEMBER.
7,
72
74
74
27,
81
85
83
1,
82°
83°
82°
8,
71
74
74
28,
82
85
84
2,
80
82
81
9,
70
74
74
29,
82
86
86
3,
78
80
80
10,
74
78
78
30,
83
86
85
4,
80
77
77
11,
76
78
78
5,
77
78
78
12,
74
77
77
OCTOBER.
6 ,
74
77
76
13,
74
78
77
1,
83°
86°
85°
7,
74
76
76
14,
73
78
78
2,
83
86
85
8 ,
75
78
78
15,
75
79
79
3,
83
85
83
9,
75
78
78
16,
76
78
77
4,
81
84
82
10,
74
79
79
17,
75
75
75
5 ,
81
84
83
11,
76
79
79
18,
71
74
74
6,
81
84
82
12,
77
80
80
19,
65
73
75
426
APPENDIX.
ST
Morn.
68°
Noon.
74°
Even.
74°
ib y ;
21,
70
76
76
ii,
22,
72
88
78
12,
23,
74
78
78
13,
24,
76
77
77
14,
25,
75
77
76
15,
26,
75
78
77
16,
27,
74
79
78
17,
28,
76
79
78
18,
29,
76
78
78
19,
30,
76
77
76
20,
31,
76
78
78
21,
22,
JANUARY, 1842.
23,
24,
1,
75°
78°
77°
25,
2,
75
77
77
26,
27,
3,
76
76
76
4,
74
78
77
28,
5,
74
78
78
6,
74
78
78
7,
74
78
78
8,
74
78
77
1,
9,
74
77
76
2,
io,
74
77
76
3,
11,
73
78
77
4,
12,
74
78
77
5,
13,
74
77
76
6,
14,
73
78
77
7,
15,
74
77
76
8,
16,
74
76
76
9.
17
73
76
75
io;
18,
73
76
75
ii,
19,
70
76
76
12,
20,
73
76
76
13,
21,
72
72
72
14,
22,
70
72
72
15,
23
68
72
72
io,
24,
68
73
72
17,
25,
69
74
74
18,
26,
72
78
77
19,
27
73
76
76
20,
28,
73
76
77
21,
29,
74
78
78
22,
30,
74
79
79
23,
31,
74 80
80
24,
25,
FEBRUARY.
26,
1,
75°
78°
78°
27,
28
2,
74
80
80
20
3,
76
81
81
30,
4,
76
80
79
5,
77
80
79
01 3
6,
76
80
80
7,
76
80
80
8,
76
74
74
1,
9,
73
14
74
2,
Even.
Days.
M-'rn.
Noon.
Even.
76°
3,
77°
83°
82°
78
4,
78
84
84
79
5,
78
84
84
79
6,
79
86
84
79
7,
79
84
84
80
8,
79
84
84
76
9,
81
85
84
76
10,
77
84
83
79
11,
79
85
84
78
12,
78
85
83
80
13,
78
84
83
75
14,
77
84
83
74
15,
79
84
83
72
16 ,
80
85
84
76
17,
81
84
84
77
18,
80
84
84
78
19,
79
83
82
81
20,
78
84
82
81
21,
78
84
83
22,
79
83
82
23,
77
83
82
82°
24,
78
84
84
25,
80
85
85
82
26,
81
86
85
82
27,
84
83
82
82
28,
80
83
82
84
29,
78
84
84
84
84
82
84
84
84
83
83
30,
78
83
83
1 ,
MAY.
79° 84°
84°
2,
81
86
86
3,
82
87
86
81
81
80
80
4,
83
86
83
5,
82
84
84
6,
80
82
82
7,
79
81
80
82
8,
78
81
80
81
9,
78
81
81
80
10,
76
83
81
80
11,
78
84
82
80
12,
78
84
83
81
13 ;
80
85
83
81
14,
80
85
83
81
15,
79
85
84
80
16,
79
84
84
75
80
82
82
82
17,
79
85
85
18,
79
86
86
19,
80
86
86
20,
81
86
85
21,
82
86
85
22,
23,
82
86
85
82
86
86
24,
81
86
86
80°
25,
82
86
85
82
26,
82
84
82
Morn. Noon.
71° 76°
74 79
74 80
76 80
77 80
77 80
78 76
72 76
75 79
76 79
77 80
78 76
73 74
70 74
69 78
71 77
74 78
76 81
77 81
MARCH.
78° 82°
78 83
78 83
78 83
78 84
78 84
78 85
78 84
77 82
76 84
78 84
78 84
76 84
79 84
78 84
78 81
77 82
76 83
76 81
76 81
75 80
76 81
76 82
74 82
76 82
76 84
76 80
76 82
76 82
78 83
78 83
APRIL.
78° 83°
76 80
A P
Day*.
Morn.
Noon.
Even.
Days.
27,
82°
83°
81°
28,
28,
80
84
80
29,
29,
80
83
80
30,
30,
80
83
81
31,
80
84
83
JUNE.
1 ,
2 ,
1 ,
79°
84°
84°
3,
2 ,
80
86
85
4,
3,
81
86
85
5,
4,
82
86
85
6 ,
5,
83
86
86
7,
6 ,
84
87
85
8 ,
7,
82
86
85
9,
8 ,
83
87
85
10 ,
9,
83
86
85
11 ,
10 ,
83
86
83
12 ,
11 ,
81
86
85
13,
12 ,
82
86
85
14,
13,
84
86
86
15,
14,
84
87
86
16,
15,
85
88
88
17,
16,
85
88
84
18 ,
17,
84
87
86
19,
18,
84
88
88
20 ,
19,
84
88
88
21 ,
20 ,
84
88
87
22 ,
21 ,
84
88
87
23,
22 ,
83
88
88
24,
23,
82
88
86
25,
24,
82
89
86
26,
25,
83
88
86
27,
26,
82
88
86
28,
27,
82
88
86
29,
i x. 427
Even.
Days.
Morn.
Noon.
Even
85°
30,
83°
88 °
86 °
85
31,
83
87
86
85
1 ,
AUGUST.
83° 88°
86 °
2 ,
82
87
86
84°
3,
84
87
86
84
4,
84
87
86
84
5,
83
87
86
85
6,
82
86
85
83
7,
82
86
86
86
8 ,
82
87
86
86
9,
83
88
86
85
10 ,
83
88
87
85
11 ,
84
88
82
82
12 ,
82
86
86
81
13,
83
86
86
82
14,
82
87
85
83
15,
83
86
83
85
16,
82
86
83
85
17,
81
85
84
86
18,
81
86
85
86
19,
80
86
84
83
20 ,
82
86
86
83
21,
82
86
86
82
22 ,
82
86
84
82
23,
81
86
86
82
24,
82
86
86
82
25,
83
87
86
85
26,
84
87
86
85
27,
82
87
86
84
28,
80
85
85
86
29,
80
85
85
86
30,
81
86
86
86
31,
82
86
86
PEND
Morn. Noon.
82° 88°
82 86
82 88
JULY.
83° 86°
83 86
82 86
82 86
82 86
81 86
82 88
82 86
81 86
81 84
80 82
78 82
80 84
79 86
82 87
82 86
82 86
81 85
81 85
81 85
80 85
80 85
80 85
81 86
82 87
81 86
82 87
83 87
83 86
TABLE OF STATISTICS OF YUCATAN.
428
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
429
POPULATION OP YUCATAN.
Statement showing the number of inhabitants in the five departments into
which the state is divided, distinguishing the sexes; taken from the cen¬
sus made by order of the government on the 8th of April, 1841.
Departments.
Men.
48^606
32,915
58,127
45,353
39,017
Women.
Total.
Merida . .
Izamal . .
Tekax . .
Valladolid .
Campeachy
58,663
37,933
64,697
46,926
40,639
107,269
70,848
122,824
92,279
79,656
472,876
Note.— “This census is probably not very exact, because, having con¬
tinually the fear of new contributions, and detesting military service, every
one reduces as far as possible the number of his family in the lists pre¬
pared for the census. It appears to me that the total population of Yu¬
catan may be fixed at 525,000 souls.”—P. De R.
“ The best information I have been enabled to obtain goes to show that
the population of the state cannot fall short of 600,000 souls.”—J. B. Jr.
SYSTEM ADOPTED BY THE ANCIENT BUILDERS OF YUCATAN IN COVERING THEIR
ROOMS WITH STONE ROOFS.
The engraving No. 1 represents the arch referred to in the description of
the Monjas at Uxmal; and as the stones are not quite horizontal,but stand
nearly at right angles to the line of the arch, it shows how near an ap¬
proach was made to the real principle on which the arch is constructed.
Throughout every part of Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan,
the same method is to be traced with slight modifications. The stones
forming the side walls are made to overlap each other until the walls al¬
most meet above, and then the narrow ceilings are covered with a layer of
flat stones. In every case the stones were laid in horizontal layers, the
principle of constructing arches, as understood by us, being unknown to the
aboriginal builders. This readily accounts for the extreme narrowness of
all their rooms, the widest not exceeding twenty feet, and the width more
frequently being only from six to ten feet. In a few cases the covering
stone is wanting, and the two sides meet so as to form a sharp angle. At
Palenque the builders did not cut the edges of the stones, so as to form an
even surface, their practice differing in this respect from that adopted in
Yucatan, where in every instance the sides of the arch are made perfectly
straight, or have a slight curve, with the inner surfaces smooth.
It may now be interesting to inquire if any similarity exists between the
American method and those observed among the nations of antiquity in
430
APPENDIX.
No. l.
Europe and Asia. A true arch is formed of a series of wedge-like stones
or of bricks, supporting each other, and all bound firmly together by the
pressure of the centre one upon them, which latter is therefore distinguish¬
ed by the name of keystone.
It would seem that the arch, as thus defined, and as used by the Romans,
was not known to the Greeks in the early periods of their history, other¬
wise a language so copious as theirs, and of such ready application, would
not have wanted a name properly Greek by which to distinguish it. The
APPENDIX.
431
use of both arches and vaults appears, however, to have existed in Greece
previous to the Roman conquest, though not to have been in general
practice. And the former made use of a contrivance, even before the Tro¬
jan war, by which they were enabled to gain all the advantages of our
archway in making corridors or hollow galleries, and which, in appear¬
ance, resembled the pointed arch, such as is now termed Gothic. This
was effected by cutting away the superincumbent stones at an angle of
about 45° with the horizon.
Of the different forms and curves of arches now in use, the only one
adopted by the Romans was the semicircle 5 and the use of this constitutes
one leading distinction between Greek and Roman architecture, for by its
application the Romans were enabled to execute works of far bolder con¬
struction than those of the Greeks: to erect bridges and aquaeducts, and
the most durable and massive structures of brick. On the antiquity of
the arch among the Egyptians, Mr. Wilkinson has the following remarks:
“ There is reason to believe that some of the chambers in the pavilion of
Remeses III., at Medeenet Haboo, were arched with stone, since the de¬
vices on the upper part of their walls show that the fallen roofs had this
form. At Saggara, a stone arch still exists of the time of the second Psa-
maticus, and, consequently, erected six hundred years before our era; nor
can any one, who sees the style of its construction, for one moment doubt
that the Egyptians had been long accustomed to the erection of stone
vaults. It is highly probable that the small quantity of wood in Egypt,
and the consequent expense of this kind of roofing, led to the invention of
the arch. It was evidently used in their tombs as early as the commence¬
ment of the eighteenth dynasty, or about the year 1540 B.C.; and, judging
Irom some of the drawings at Beni Hassan, it seems to have been known
in the time of the first Osirtasen, whom I suppose to have been contempo¬
rary with Joseph .”—Manners and Customs of the Anc. Egyptians , vol. ii., p.
116, 117, 1 st series.
The entrance to the great Pyramid at Gizeh is somewhat similar in form
to the arches found in Yucatan; it consists of two immense granite stones
of immense size, meeting in a point and forming a sharp angle.
Of the accompanying plates, No. 2 represents the arches in the walls of Ti-
ryns, copied from Sir W. Gell’s Argolis; No. 3, an arch (called Cyclo-
432
APPENDIX,
No. 2.
A P F E N D I X.
433
pean) at Arpino, in the Neapolitan Territory; No. 4, the most common
form of arch used by the ancient American builders. A striking resem¬
blance will doubtless be observed, indeed, they may almost be considered
identical; and it may be added, that at Medeenet Haboo, which forms a part
of the ancient Egyptian Thebes, a similar contrivance was observed by Mr.
Catherwood. From this it will appear that the true principles of the arch
were not understood by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, or Etruscans, or by
the American buiMers. It might be supposed that a coincidence of this
strongly-marked character would go far to establish an ancient connexion
between all these people; but, without denying that such may have been
the case, the probabilities are greatly the other way.
This most simple mode of covering over a void space with stone, when
single blocks of sufficient size could not be employed, would suggest itself
to the most barbarous as well as to the most refined people. Indeed, in a
mound lately opened in the Ohio Valley, two circular chambers were dis¬
covered, and are still preserved, the walls being made of logs, and the roofs
formed by overlapping stones rising to a point, on precisely the same plan as
the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae, and the chamber at Orchomenus, built
by Minyas, king of Boeotia. No inference as to common origin or inter¬
national communication can with safety be drawn from such coincidences,
or from any supposed coincidence between the pyramidal structures of this
Continent and those of Egypt, for no agreement exists, except that both are
called pyramids.
In the Egyptian Pyramids the sides are of equal lengths, and, with one
exception (Saccara), composed of straight lines, which is not the case
37
434
APPENDIX.
with any pyramid of the American Continent. The sides are never equal,
are frequently composed of curves and straight lines, and in no instance
form a sharp apex.
VESTIGIA PHALLICJE RELIGIONIS FROUT QUIBUSDAM MONUMENTIS AMERICANIS
indicantur. —( Vid . tom. i.,pag. 181.)
Hjec monumenta ex undecim Phallis constant, omnibus plus minusve
fractis, undique dispersis, atque solo semiobrutis, duorum circiter vel trium
pedum mensuram habentibus. Non ea nosmetipsi reperimus neque illis
hanc Phallicam naturam attribuimus; nobis autem,has regiones ante per-
errantibus, haac eadem monumenta Indi ostenderunt, quodam nomine ap-
pellantes lingua ipsorum eandem vim habente, ac supra dedimus. Q,ui-
bus auditis, hsec Phallicae religionis, his etiam in terris, vestigia putanda
esse tunc primum judicavimus. Monumenta attamen de quibus hue us¬
que locuti sumus, non, ut bene sciunt eruditi, libidinem denotant, sed po-
tius, quod memoria dignissimum, nostra etiam continente vis genitalis cul-
tum, omnibus psene antiquis Europae Asiaeque nationibus communem, per
symbola nota olim viguisse. Gtuam autem cognationem hie Phallorum
cultus his populis cum Americas aboriginibus indicare videatur, non nos¬
trum est, qui visa tantum vel audita litteris mandamus, his paginis ex-
ponere.
ANCIENT CHRONOLOGY OP YUCATAN; OR, A TRUE EXPOSITION OF THE METHOD
used by the Indians for computing time.— Translated from the Manu¬
script of Don Juan Pio Perez , Gcfe Politico of Peto, Yucatan.
1°. Origin of the Period of 13 Days ( triadecateridas ).
The inhabitants of this peninsula, which, at the time of the arrival of
the Spaniards, was called Mayapan , and by its first inhabitants or settlers
Chacnouitan, divided time by calculating it almost in the same manner as
their ancestors the Tulteques, differing only in the particular arrangement
of their great ages (siglos).
The period of 13 days, resulting from their first chronological combina¬
tions, afterward became their sacred number, to which, introducing it in¬
geniously in their reckonings, they made all those divisions subordinate
which they devised to adjust their calendar to the solar course; so that the
days, years, and ages were counted by periods of thirteen numbers.
It is very probable that the Indians, before they had corrected their com¬
putation, used the lunations (neomenias) to regulate the annual course of
the sun, counting (sehalando) 26 days for each lunation; which is a little
more or less than the time during which the moon is seen above the hori¬
zon in each of its revolutions; dividing this period into two of 13 days,
which served them as weeks, giving to the first the first 13 days during
APPENDIX.
435
which the new moon is seen till it is full; and to the second, the other thir¬
teen, during which the moon is decreasing until it cannot be seen by the
naked eye.
In the lapse of time, and by constant observations, they obtained a better
knowledge of the solar course, perceiving that the 26 days, or two periods
of 13 days, did not give a complete lunation, and that the year could not be
regulated exactly by lunations, inasmuch as the solar revolutions do not
coincide with those of the moon, except at long intervals. Adding this
knowledge to more correct principles and data, they finally constructed
their calendar in accordance with the course of the principal luminary,
preserving always their periods-of 13 days, not in order to make them agree
with the apparent course of the moon, but to use them as weeks, and for
their chronological divisions.
2°. The Weeks.
It must not be supposed that the weeks of the ancient Indians were
similar to ours, that is to say, that they were the revolution of a period of
days, each having a particular name: they were only the revolution or
successive repetition of thirteen numbers applied in arithmetical progres¬
sion to the twenty days of the month. The year being composed of 23
weeks and one additional day or number, the course of the years, on ac¬
count of that excess, followed the arithmetical progression of the thirteen
weekly numbers; so that if a year commenced with the number 1, the next
would commence with number 2, and so on to the close of the 13 years,
which formed an indiction, or week of years, as will be explained hereafter.
3°. The Month.
“Month” is called in the Yucateco language “U,” which means also
“ the moonand this corroborates the presumption that the Indians went
on from the computation of lunations to determine the course of the sun,
calling the months “moons.” But in some manuscripts, the name of
Uinal in the singular and Uinahb in the plural is given to the eighteen
months which compose the year; applying this comprehensive term to the
series, and to each one of the particular names assigned to the twenty days
that composed the month.
The day was called Kin, “ the sun;” and the particular names by which
the 20 days composing the month were designated are stated in the follow¬
ing table, in which they are divided into sets of five, for the better under¬
standing of the subsequent explanations.
1st. 2d. 3d. 4th.
Kan.
Muluc.
Gix (Hix).
Ca-uac.
Chicchan.
Oc.
Men.
Ajau (Ahau).
Q,uimi (Cimf).
Chuen.
auib (Cib).
Ymix.
Manik.
Eb.
Caban.
Yk.
Lamat.
Been.
Edznab.
Akbal.
436
APPENDIX.
As those names corresponded in number with the days of the month, it fol¬
lowed that, the name of the first day of the year being known, the names
of the first days of all the successive months were equally known; and
they were distinguished from each other only by adding the number of the
week to which they respectively belonged. But the week consisting of
thirteen days, the month necessarily consisted of a week and seven days;
so that if the month began with the first number of a week, it ended with
the seventh number of the week ensuing.
[In order to know the number of the week corresponding with the first
day of each month respectively, it is necessary only to know the number
of the week with which the year begins, and to add successively seven, but
subtracting thirteen whenever the sum of this addition exceeds thirteen,
which gives the following series for the first days of the eighteen months:
1 , 8, 2 (15-13), 9, 3 (16-13), 10, 4, 11, 5, 12, 6, 13, 7, 1, 8, 2,9, 3, supposing
the first day of the year to be the first day of the week, and generally taking
for the first number of the series the number of the week by which the year
begins.]
4°. The Year.
To this day the Indians call the year JaaJb or Haab, and, while heathens,
they commenced it on the 16th of July. It is worthy of notice that their
progenitors, having sought to make it begin from the precise day on which
the sun returns to the zenith of this peninsula on his way to the southern
regions, but being destitute of instruments for their astronomical observa¬
tions, and guided only by the naked eye, erred only forty-eight hours in ad¬
vance. That small difference proves that they endeavoured to determine,
with the utmost attainable correctness, the day on which the luminary passed
the most culminating point of our sphere, and that they were not ignorant
of the use of the gnomon in the most tempestuous days of the rainy season.
They divided the year into 18 months, as follows:
1 st, Pop, beginning on the 16th of July.
2d, U66, beginning on the 5th of August.
3d, Zip, beginning on the 25th of August.
4th, Zodz, beginning on the 14th of September.
5th, Zeec, beginning on the 4th of October.
6 th, Xul, beginning on the 24th of October,
7th, Dze-yaxkin, beginning on the 13th of November.
8 th, Mol, beginning on the 3d of December.
9 th, Dchen, beginning on the 23d of December,
10th, Yaax, beginning on the 12th of January,
11 th, Zac, beginning on the 1st of February.
12 th, Gtuej, beginning on the 21st of February,
13th, Mac, beginning on the 13th of March.
14th, Kankin, beginning on the 2d of April,
APPENDIX.
437
15th, Moan, beginning on the 22d of April.
16th, Pax, beginning on the 12th of May.
17th, Kayab, beginning on the 1st of June.
18 th, Cumku, beginning on the 21st of June.
As the 18 months of 20 days each contained but 360 days, and the com¬
mon year consists of 365, five supplementary days were added at the end
of each year, which made part of no month, and which, for that reason,
Neg. Name. Days.
they called “days without name,” xona kaba kin. They called them also
Year.
uayab or uayeb Jaab; which may be interpreted two different ways. The
word uayab may be derived from uay , which means “bed” or “ chamber,”
presuming that the Indians believed the year to rest during those days; or
uayab may equally be derived from another signification of uay , viz., to be
destroyed, wounded, corroded by the caustic juice of plants, or with ley
and other strong liquids. And on this account the Indians feared those
days, believing them to be unfortunate, and to carry danger of sudden
deaths, plagues, and other misfortunes. For this reason these five days
were assigned for the celebration of the feast of the god Mam , “grandfar
ther.” On the first day they carried him about, and feasted him with great
magnificence; on the second they diminished the solemnity; on the third
they brought him down from the altar and placed him in the middle of the
temple; on the fourth they put him at the threshold or door; and on the
fifth, or last day, the ceremony of taking leave (or dismissal) took place, that
the new year might commence on the following day, which is the first of
the month Pop, corresponding with the 16th of July, as appears by the pre¬
ceding table. *The description of the god Mam may be seen in Cogolludo,
The division of the year into 18 months of 20 days would have given
only the sum of 360 days; and the first day of the year falling on Kan , the
last would have fallen on Akbal,. so as to begin again the next year with
the same Kan, making all the years alike. But as, in order to complete
the year, they added five days, the result was that the year which com¬
menced in Kan ended in Lamat, the last of the first series of five days; the
ensuing year commenced in Muluc, the first of the second series of five
days; the third commenced in Gix, the first of the third series; and the
fourth in Cauac (the first ending in Akbal), the last of the fourth series of
five days; so that the fifth year again began with Kan. It has also been
stated that the year consisted of 28 weeks of 13 days each, and of one ad¬
ditional day; so that, if the year commenced with the number one of the
week, it -ended with the same number, and the ensuing year began with
number two.; and so on through the thirteen numbers of the week, thus
forming, with the four initial days, the week of years, or indietion, of which
we shall speak hereafter.
The following is the order of the twenty days in each of the 18 months
438
APPENDIX.
composing the years formed by the four initial days, together with the inter¬
calary or complementary days.
Year beginning Year beginning
with the day Kan. with the day Muluc.
Year of Gix.
Year of Cauac.
Kan.
Muluc.
Gix.
Cauac.
Chicchan.
Oc.
Men.
Ajau.
Gtuimf.
Chuen.
Guib.
Ymix.
Manik.
Eb.
Caban.
Yk.
Lamat.
Ben.
Edznab.
Akbal.
Muluc.
Gix.
Cauac.
Kan.
Oc.
Men.
Ajau.
Chicchan.
Chuen.
Q,uib.
Ymix.
Gluimi.
Eb.
Caban.
Yk.
Manik.
Ben.
Edznab.
Akbal.
Lamat.
Gix.
Cauac.
Kan.
Muluc.
Men.
Ajau.
Chicchan.
Oc.
Gluib.
Ymix.
Q,uiml.
Chuen.
Caban.
Yk.
Manik.
Eb.
Edznab.
Akbal.
Lamat.
Ben.
Cauac.
Kan.
Muluc.
Gix.
Ajau.
Chicchan.
Oc.
Men.
Ymix.
Q,uimi.
Chuen.
Gluib.
Yk.
Manik.
Eb.
Caban.
Akbal.
Lamat.
Ben.
Edznab.
Intercalary days.
Intercalary days.
Intercalary days .
Intercalary days .
Kan.
Muluc.
Gix.
Cauac.
Chicchan.
Oc.
Men.
AjSu.
dUimi.
Chuen.
Gluib.
Ymix.
Manik.
Eb.
Caban.
Yk.
Lamat.
Ben.
Edznab.
Akbal.
5°. The Bissextile.
The connexion between the days or numbers of the week which desig¬
nate the beginning of the year, and the four initial or first days of the se¬
ries of five, is so intimate that it is very difficult to intercalate an addi¬
tional day for the bissextile, without disturbing that correlative order of the
initials which is constantly followed in the denomination of the years, and
forms their indictions, or weeks. But as the bissextile is necessary to com¬
plete the solar course, and as I have not any certain knowledge of the
manner in which the Indians effected that addition, I will exhibit the meth¬
od adopted by the Mexicans, their computation being very analogous to
that of Yucatan, which in its origin probably emanated from Mexico.
Yeyta asserts, in ch. x. of his “ Historia Antigua de Mexico,” that the
bissextile was made by adding at the end either of the 18 months or of the
five supplementary days, a day which was marked with the same hiero-
APPENDIX.
4
439
glyphic as the one preceding, bnt with a different number of the week, viz.,
with the succeeding number. But in each way that numerical order by
which the years follow each other till they form the week of years, is dis¬
turbed; since the fifth year would thus be designated by the number 6 in¬
stead of 5, and the regular order of the years 4 to 6 be thereby interrupted.
These interruptions, recurring every fourth year, would render it impossi¬
ble to preserve that continuous harmony (on which rests the whole system
of the Indian computation) between the numbers of the week which desig¬
nate the ending year and its successor, as shown in the uniform succession
of the four initial days.
In order to prevent that inconvenience, it is necessary to suppose that the
Indians, whether they intercalated the additional day at the end of the 18
months or after the five supplementary days, did not only give to it the
same number and hieroglyphic as to the day immediately preceding, but also
designated it by some peculiar sign or number, in order that it might not be
confounded with any other.
In a treatise published by Akerman, the opinion is expressed that the In¬
dians, at the end of their cycle of 52 years, added a week of days in lieu of
the bissextile days which had been neglected. This method has not the.
defect of disturbing the numerical order of the years, but that of deranging
the series of the four initial days, which, as has been stated, gives designa¬
tion to the years. It will be seen by the table of indictions, that each cycle
consists of four complete weeks of years, formed by series of each one of
the four initial signs, each week of years commencing with number one and
ending with number thirteen; consequently, if, at the end of each cycle, a
week of days be added, the first day of the ensuing year would be the 14th
in the series of the 20 days of the month (instead of being the 1st, 6th, 11th,
or 16th), thus abandoning the regular series of the four initial days, and
substituting others, changing them again at each new cycle.
6°. Katun, or Cycle.
The Indians made (painted) a small wheel, in which they placed the
four hieroglyphics of the initial days, Kan in the east, Muluc in the north,
Gix in the west, and Cauac in the south, to be counted in that order. Some
suppose that when the fourth year was accomplished, and Kan was again
in order, a Katun, or lustre of four years, was completed; others, that three
revolutions of the wheel, with its four signs, were reckoned, with one (sign)
more, which made 13 years, and that this completed the Katun; others,
again, that the four complete weeks of years, or indictions, constituted the
Katun; and this is probable. Besides the small wheel aforesaid, they
made another great wheel, which they also called buk xoc, and in which
they placed three revolutions of the four signs of the small wheel, making
12 signs; beginning to count by the first Kan, and continuing to reckon all
until the fourth naming of the same Kan, which was included, thus making
440
APPENDIX.
*
thirteen years, and forming one indiction, or week (of years); the second
reckoning began with Muluc , ending in the same, which formed the next
thirteen j and so on, till they came to Cauac, which formed a Katun.
• 7°. Of the Indiction and Cycle of 52 Years, or Katun.
As in the preceding explanations sufficient idea has been given of what
constituted the indiction and the cycle of 52 years, called by the Indians
Katun , the facts are briefly recapitulated here, that the reader may not be
fatigued hereafter with new explanations.
1 st. The name of indiction is given to each one of the four weeks of
years composing the cycle of 52 years.
2d. The American week was formed by the course of 13 numbers, ap¬
plied indiscriminately to the 20 days of the month.
3d. It has been explained, that as the year was formed of 28 weeks and
one day, by this overplus the years succeeded each other, following the
correlative order of their numbers up to 13, in order to form a week, or in¬
diction ; for if the year had been composed of exactly 28 weeks, the num¬
bers of the new years would never have formed a correlative week, because
they would have commenced with the number 1, and finished with 13 j by
the other method, one year begins with the first, and terminates in the
same; the second year commences with the number 2, and also finishes
with it; and so on successively, until the 13 are completed.
4th. It has also been explained that the Indians, seeing that 18 months
of 20 days did not make up the sum of 365, in order to complete them
added five days more; resulting from this, the 20 days were divided into
four portions, and the first of each of these, being Kan } Muluc , Gix , apd
Cauac , became initials, forming in turn the beginning of the years by
courses of four years, every fifth year commencing again with Kan. But
as the weeks were composed of 13 numbers, there were in each week three
revolutions of the four initials and one initial more, by this excess of one
causing each initial to have its own week: thus the indiction, or week,
which began with Kan concluded also with the same Kan; so that the
next indiction might commence with Muluc , the second initial, and in its
turn conclude with the same Muluc; and so on continually, until each one
of the initials had formed its own indiction, or week, and given to it its name,
the whole composing 52 years, which is the sum of the four weeks of 13
years each, as may be seen in the following table.
£
APPENDIX.
441
Order of the years in the cycle of 52, divided into four indictions, or weeks of
years / and as the year 1841 happens to be the first of one of these cycles, it is
taken as the starting-point.
1st Indiction.
2d Indiction.
3d Indictidn.
4th Indiction.
1841, 1. Kan.
1854, 1. Muluc.
18G7, 1. Gix.
1880, 1. Cauac.
1842, 2. Muluc.
1855, 2. Gix.
1868 , 2. Cauac.
1881, 2. Kan.
&c. 3. Gix.
&c. 3. Cauac.
&c. 3. Kan.
&c. 3. Muluc.
4. Cauac,
4. Kan.
4. Muluc.
4. Gix.
5. Kan.
5. Muluc.
5. Gix.
5. Cauac.
6 . Muluc.
6 . Gix.
6 . Cauac.
6 . Kan.
7. Gix.
7. Cauac.
7. Kan.
7. Muluc.
8 . Cauac.
8 . Kan.
8 . Muluc.
8 . Gix.
9. Kan.
9. Muluc.
9. Gix.
9. Cauac.
10. Muluc.
10. Gix.
10. Cauac.
10. Kan.
11 . Gix.
11. Cauac.
11 . Kan.
11 . Muluc.
12. Cauac.
12. Kan.
12. Muluc.
12. Gix.
13. Kan.
13. Muluc.
13. Gix.
1892, 13. Cauac.
This period of 52 years was called by the Indians Katun, and at its con¬
clusion great feasts were celebrated, and a monument was raised, on which
a large stone was placed crosswise, as is signified by the word Kaf-tun, for
A memento and record of the cycles, or Katunes , that had elapsed. It should
be observed, that until the completion of this period, the initial days of the
years did not again fall upon the same numbers of the week; for which
reason, by merely citing them, it was at once known what year of that
cycle was arrived at; being aided in this by the wheel or table on which
the years were engraved in hieroglyphics.
^ 8 P , Of the great Cycle of 312 Years , or Ajau Katunes.
Besides the cycle of 52 years, or Kakrn, there was another great cycle pe¬
culiar to the Yucatecos, who referred to its periods for dating their princi¬
pal epochs and the most notable events of their history. It contained 13
periods of 24 years each, making together 312 years. Each period, or
Ajau Katun, was divided into two parts; the first of 20 years, which was
included in a square, and therefore called amaytun, lamayte, or lamaytun ;
and the other of four years, which formed, as it were, a pedestal for the
first, and was called chek oc Katun, or lath oc Katun, which means “ stool”
or “pedestal.” They considered those four years as intercalated; there¬
fore believed them to be unfortunate, and called them u yail Jaab, as they
did the five supplementary days of the year, to which they likened them.
From this separation of the first 20 years from the last four, arose the er¬
roneous belief that the Ajaus consisted only of 20 years, an error into which
almost all have fallen who have written on the subject; but if they had
counted the years which compose a period, and noted the positive declara¬
tions of the manuscripts that the Ajaues consisted of 24 years divided as
above stated, they would not have misled their readers on this point.
Jt is incontrovertible that those periods, epochs, or ages, took the name
442
APPENDIX.
of Ajau Katun , because they began to be counted from the day Ajau , which
was the second day of those years that began in Cauac; but as these days
and numbers were taken from years which had run their course, the peri¬
ods of 24 years could never have an arithmetical order, but succeeded each
other according to the numbers 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3, 1, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2. As
the Indians established the number 13 as the first, it is probable that some
remarkable event had happened in that year, because, when the Spaniards
came to this peninsula, the Indians reckoned then the 8th as the 1st, that
being the date at which their ancestors came to settle it; and an Indian
writer proposed that they should abandon that order also, and begin count¬
ing from the 11th, solely because the conquest had happened in that. Now
if the 13 Ajau Katun began on a second day of the year, it must be that
year which began on 12 Cauac , and the 12th of the indiction. The 11 Ajau
would commence in the year of 10 Cauac , which happens after a period of
24 years, and so on with the rest; taking notice that after that lapse of
years we come to the respective number marked in the course of the Ajaues,
which is placed first; proving that they consist of 24, and not, as some
have believed, of 20 years.
Series of the years completed in two Ajau Katunes , having their beginning in
the year of our Lord 1488, in which thi 13 th Ajau commences on the 2 d day
•of the year 12 Cauac, being the 12 th of the first indiction.
A.D.
13:h Ajau.
1 A.n. i
1 i3th Ajau.
A.n.
llth Ajiu.
| A I). | llth Ajau.
1488
12. Cauac
r-
J500
11. Cauac
r
1512
10. Cauac
1524 i 9. Cauac
t- 1
1489
13. Kan
1501
12. Kan
p
1513
11. Kan
1525 10. Kan
p
1490
1. Muluc
P
1502
13. Muluc
3
1514
12. Muluc
p
1526 11. Muluc
3
1491
2. Gix
g
1503
1. Gix
p
1515
13. Gix
«
1527 12. Gix
p
1492
3. Cauac
1504
2. Cauac
•<
1516
1. Cauac
1528 13. Cauac
*«8
1493
4. Kan
p
1505
3. Kan
1517
2. Kan
p
1529 1. Kan
1494
5. Muluc
1506
4. Muluc
c
1518
3. Muluc
1530 2. Muluc
1495
6. Gix
1507
5. Gix
1519
4. Gix
1531 3. Gix •
?
1496
7. Cauac
1508
6. Cauac
1520
5. Cauac
c-f
1532 4. Cauac
1497,
8. Kan
1509
7. Kan
$£
1521
6. Kan.
1533 5. Kan
W?
1498
9. Muluc
1510
8. Muluc
s =r
3 o
1522
7. Muluc
1534 6. Muluc
c w
3 o
1499 10. Gix
311511
9. Gix
1523
8. Gix
a
1535 7. Gix
The fundamental point of departure from which to adjust the Ajaus with
the years of the Christian era, to count the periods or cycles which have
elapsed, and to make the years quoted by the Indians in their histories
agree with the same era, is the year of our Lord 1392, which, according to
all sources of information, confirmed by the testimony of Don Cosme de
Burgos, one of the conquerors, and a writer (but whose observations have
been lost), was the year in which fell the 7 Cauac , givingin its second day
the commencement of 8 Ajau; and from this, as from a root, all that pre¬
ceded and have followed it are adjusted according to the table of them
which has been given; and as this agrees with all the series that have been
found, it is highly probable that it is the correct one.
"At the end of each Ajau Katun, or period of 24 years,” says a manu-
APPENDIX.
443
script, “great feasts were celebrated in honour of the god ^lereof, and a
statue of the god was put up, with letters and inscriptions.” It must be
supposed that these were expressed by means of signs or hieroglyphics.
The use of this cycle was of very great advantage and importance, be¬
cause when, for example, the 8th Ajau was referred to in their histories in
describing some event which it was necessary to distinguish from others,
the 8th Ajau was established as a distinct date, and it was understood that
the 312 years had elapsed, which made up the whole Katun, in order to re¬
turn to the same number; this was more clear, if the writer explained that
a uudz Kalun had elapsed, which is the sum total of the thirteen Katunes,
or the great cycle. They had various modes of quoting the Ajaues, as by
saying generally the beginning, middle, or end of such an Ajau, or by
mentioning the years of the Katun which had elapsed, without stating the
month or day of the year, or by specifying all the particulars of the epoch,
the year, month, and day. Such is the passage in which is noticed the
death of a certain, without doubt very notable, Ajpula. It is said that he
died in the 6th year of 13 Ajau, when the first day of the year was 4 Kan
at the east end of the wheel, in the day of 9 Ymix, 18th of the month Zip.
This date being so circumstantial, we will trace it out, that it may serve as
an example.
Looking at the series of years which belong to the 13 Ajau, and which
we have given above, it will be seen that 12 Cauac falls in the year 1488,
the second day of that year being, therefore, the beginning of the 13th
Ajau; that the year 1493 is the sixth from the beginning of the said Ajau,
and that its first day is designated as 4 Kan, which is the title of that year,
“18th of the month Zip.” As this month begins on the 25th of August,
the 18th corresponds with the 11th of September. Let us see now whether
this 18th day falls on 9 Ymix. The first month of that year commenced
with 4 Kan, since 4 Kan designates that year (see the rule given in treat¬
ing of the months). We find the numbers (of the week) annexed to the first
days of the following months by successively adding 7 to each month, &c.
(or, which is the same thing, by the rule buk xoc). The number of the 1st
day of the 1st month being in this case 4, the number of the 1st day of the
2d month will be 4+7=11, and that of the 1st day of the 3d month, viz., of
Zip, will be 11+7—13=5. That month begins, therefore, in that year, with
5 Kan, and the following days are,
Days
Aug.
1 of ,
zip.!
Days of the Week.
Days
Sept.
i of
Zip.
Days of the Week.
Day;
Sept.
> of
Zip.
Days of the Week.
25
1
5. Kan.
T
8
12 . Chuen.
8
15
6 . Edznab.
26
2
6 . Chicchan.
2
9
13. Eb.
9
16
7. Cauac.
27
3
7. Gtuimi.
3
to
1. Ben.
10
17
8 . Ajau.
28
4
8 . Manik.
4
11
2. Gix.
11
18
9. Ymix.
29
5
9. Lamac.
5
12
3. Men.
30
6
10 . Muluc.
6
13
4. Gtuin.
31
7
11. Oc.
7
14
5. Caban.
444
APPENDIX.
Thus theUlth of September was the 18th of Zip, which does fall on 9
Ymix, and accords with the date given in the MS. This date appears,
therefore, to have been very correct.
Of the Origin of this Cycle,
The origin and use of this species of age, epoch, or cycle, and (the time)
when it commenced, are not known. Neither the Mexican nor Toltecan
authors, nor those who corrected the chronological system for the computa¬
tion of time, ever used it, nor had their writers any knowledge of its exist¬
ence. The few and incomplete manuscripts which exist in this peninsula
make no mention of it; so that there is neither record nor even conjecture
to guide us, unless there be something on the subject in the work written
by Don Cristobal Antonio Xiu, son of the King of Mani, by order of the
then government, which, according to the padre C'ogolludo, existed in his
time, and some allege to be even yet extant.
It appears only that the Chevalier Boturini had some knowledge, though
imperfect, of that mode of reckoning time; inasmuch as Don Mariano
Yeytia, in the second chapter of his “ Historia Antigua de Mexico,” tran¬
scribes literally the explanation which Boturini gives at page 122 of the
work which he published under the title of “ Idea of a New History of
North America,” and says, “ that the Mexican Indians, when they reckon¬
ed in their calendar the first sign of their indiction under number 1, as, for
instance, Ce Tecpatl (1 Tecpatl), it was understood that it was (so placed)
only one time in every four cycles, because they spoke then of the initial
characters of each cycle; and thus, according to the contrivance of their
i
painted wheels, Ce Tecpatl was but once the commencement of the four
cycles” [meaning—began a cycle but once in four cycles. But the fact
is not so: both in the Mexican and the Yucatec calendar, every cycle of 52
years begins with the same initial character of the year]; “ for which rea¬
son, any character of those initial signs placed in their history means that
four Indian cycles of 52 years each have elapsed, which makes 208 years
before they can again occur as initial, because, in this way, no account is
taken of characters which are in the body of the four cycles; and though
the same characters are found there, they have not the same value.”
Veytia affirms that he did not find any similar explanation, or anything
alluding to the system of Boturini, in any of the ancient monuments which
he had collected or examined, or mentioned by any Indian historian, not
even in order to designate the epochs of the most remarkable events. But
I believe that, in answer to this remark of Veytia, it maybe said that Botu¬
rini, as Veytia states elsewhere, had examined the calendars used in old
times by the Indians of Oaxacac, Chiapas, and Soconusco, and these
being similar to that of the Yucatecos, it is not unreasonable to suppose
that they, like the Yucatecos, computed by cycles greater than the Mexi¬
cans employed; and that Boturini took from them the idea, though con-
APPENDIX.
445
fused and incorrect, of our Ajaus, or great cycles. This incorrectness
might arise either from his not understanding the mechanism of their mode
of computing, owing to the defective explanation given by the Indians, or
from the manuscripts which Boturini had before him being mutilated, or,
finally, from the possible fact that the Indians in those provinces had a par¬
ticular custom of counting by cycles of four indictions, or of 208 years,
which, notwithstanding the difference observed in their calculation, and the
number of years which it produces, have a great analogy with the Yuca-
teco cycles of 312 years. The only thing for which Boturini may be cen¬
sured, if the Mexicans had no knowledge of that cycle, and did not use it,
was the ascribing of it to them as being in common use for the computa¬
tion of the greater periods of time.
The great similarity between the names of the days in the calendar of
Oajaea, Chiapas, and Soconusco, and those of the Yucatecos, has been
mentioned, and appears clearly by comparing the latter with those of the
said provinces, which Veytia has transcribed in his history, chap, xi., at
the end.
Days of the Oajaquian Month.
Days of the Yucateco Month.
1. Yotan.
2. Ghanan.
. 3. Abagh.
4. Tox.
5. Moxic.
G. Lambat.
7. Molo or Mulu.
8. Elah or Elab.
0. Batz.
10. Enoh or Enob.
11. Ben.
12. Hix.
13. Tzinkin.
14. Chabin.
15. Chue or Chic.
16. Chinax.
17. Cahogh.
18. Aghual.
19. Mox.
20. Ygh.
1. Kan.
2. Chicchan.
3. Gtuimi.
4. Manik.
5. Lamat.
G. Muluc.
7. Oc.
8. Chuen.
9. Eb.
10. Ben.
11. Hix or Gix.
12. Men.
13. Gtuib.
14. Caban.
15. Edznab.
16. Cauac.
17. Ajau.
18. Ymix.
19. Yk.
20. Akbal.
Oajacan Ghanan, gh being pronounced as k , is the same with the Yuca-
teco Kan or Kanan (yellow); Molo or Mulu, Miduc; Chue, Chucnj
Aghual, Akbal or Akual ; Ygk, Yk; Lam bat, Lamat; Ben and Hix, Be-en
and Gix or Hix . These analogies, and the fact that some of the Yucateco
names have no known signification, induce the belief that both calendars
had a common origin, with only such alterations as the priests made on
account of particular events or for other reasons; which alterations our In¬
dians adopted, leaving the other signs unchanged, either because they
were accustomed to them, or because their signification, now forgotten,
was then known.
The Indians of Yucatan had yet another species of cycle; but as the
method followed by them in using it cannot be found, nor any example by
which an idea of its nature might be imagined, I shall only copy what is
literally said of it in a manuscript, viz.: “There was another number,
which they called Ua Katun , and which served them as a key to find the
Katunes. According to the order of its march, it falls on the days of the
ZJayeb jaab, and revolves to the end of certain years: Katunes 13, 9, 5. 1,
10 , 6 , 2, 11, 7, 3, 12, 8, 4.”
38
446
APPENDIX.
[N.B. Uayeb jaab is one of the names given to the five supplementary
days of the year, and also to the last four years of the Ajau of 24 years.]
Series of Ajaues, from the beginning of the vulgar era to the present year, and
those following until the end of the cycle. It is formed of three columns: the
first containing the years of the Christian era; the second, the years of the in¬
diction in which the Ajaues commenced, on their second day; and the third, the
succession of these Ajaues. ( The vulgar era began in the year 7 Kan, which
was the 2d of 7 Ajau, that commenced the second day of the year of the indie -
tion 6 Cauacj.
Years of our
Lord.
Years of the
Jndic’.ion.
Ajaues that began
in them.
Years of our
L-ril.
Years of the
Indiction
Ajnots that began
in them.
24
4. Cauae.
5. Ajau.
984
2. Cauac.
3. Ajau.
48
2. Cauac.
3. Ajau.
1008
13. Cauac.
1. Ajau.
72
13. Cauac.
1. Ajau.
1032
11. Cauac.
12. Ajau.
96
11. Cauac.
12. Ajau.
1056
9. Cauac.
10. Ajau.
120
9. Cauac.
10. Ajau.
1080
7. Cauac.
8. Ajau.
144
7. Cauac.
8. Ajau.
1104
5. Cauac.
6. Ajau.
168
5. Cauac.
6. Ajau.
1128
3. Cauac.
4. Ajau.
192
3. Cauac.
4. Ajau.
1152
1. Cauac.
2. Ajau.
216
1. Cauac.
2. Ajau.
*1176
*12. Cauac.
*13. Ajau.
*240
*12. Cauac.
*13. Ajau.
1200
10. Cauac.
11. Ajau.
264
10. Cauac.
11. Ajau.
1224
8. Cauac.
9. Ajau.
288
8. Cauac.
9. Ajau.*
1248
6. Cauac.
7. Ajau.
312
6. Cauac.
7. Ajau.
1272
4. Cauac.
5. Ajau.
336
4. Cauac.
5. Ajau.
1296
2. Cauac.
3. Ajau.
360
2. Cauac.
3. Ajau.
1320
13. Cauac.
1. Ajau.
384
13. Cauac.
1. Ajau.
1344
11. Cauac.
12. Ajau.
408
11. Cauac.
12. A jau.
1368
9. Cauac.
10. Ajau.
432
9. Cauac.
10. Ajau.
1392
7. Cauac.
8. Ajau.
456
7. Cauac.
8. Ajau.
1416
5. Cauac.
6. Ajau.
480
5. Cauac.
6. Ajau.
1440
3. Cauac.
4. Ajau.
504
3. Cauac.
4. Ajau.
1464
1. Cauac.
2. Ajau.
528
1. Cauac.
2. Ajau.
*1488
*12. Cauac.
*13. Ajau.
*552
*12. Cauac.
*13. Ajau.
1512
10. Cauac.
11. Ajau.
576
10. Cauac.
11. Ajau.
1536
8. Cauac.
9. Ajau.
600
8. Cauac.
9. Ajau.
1560
6. Cauac.
7. Ajau.
624
6. Cauac.
7. Ajau.
1584
4. Cauac.
5. Ajau.
648
4. Cauac.
5. Ajau.
1608
2. Cauac.
3. Ajau.
672
2. Cauac.
3. Ajau.
1632
13. Cauac.
1. Ajau.
696
13. Cauac.
1 Ajau.
1656
11. Cauac.
12. Ajau.
720
11. Cauac.
12.. Ajau.
1680
9. Cauac.
10. Ajau.
744
9. Cauac.
10. Ajau.
1704
7. Cauac.
8. Ajau.
768
7. Cauac.
8. Ajau.
1728
5. Cauac.
6. Ajau.
792
5. Cauac.
6. Ajau.
1752
3. Cauac.
4. Ajau.
816
3. Cauac.
4. Ajau.
1776
1. Cauac.
2. Ajau.
840
1. Cauac.
2. Ajau.
*1800
*12. Cauac.
*13. Ajau.
*864
*12. Cauac.
*13. Ajau.
1824
10. Cauac.
11. Ajau.
888
10. Cauac.
11. Ajau.
1848
8. Cauac.
9. Ajau.
912
8. Cauac.
9. Ajau.
1872
6. Cauac.
7. Ajau.
936
6. Cauac.
7. Ajau.
1896
4. Cauac.
5. Ajau.
960
4. Cauac.
5. A jpu.
From the preceding series it is manifest that from the birth of Christ
APPENDIX.
447
until the beginning of this cycle, have elapsed 6 great cycles, one epoch, and
17 (years) of another ; the first epoch of the first cycle requiring a year, as
has been stated.
Additional Note at End of Don J. P. Perez’s Essay.
Since this exposition was written, I have had an opportunity of seeing
the work, above quoted, of Chevalier Boturini, in which, speaking of the
Toltec Inmans, he says:
After their peregrination through Asia, they reached the Continent
(America), and penetrated to Hutchuetlapallan, the first city of New Spain,
in which their wise men convened 130 and some years before the birth of
Christ j and seeing that the civil did not agree with the astronomical year,
and that the equinoctial days were altered, they determined to add in every
four years one day, in order to recover the hours which were (annually)
lost. And it is supposed that they effected it by counting one of the sym¬
bols of the last month of the year twice (as the Romans did with their bis¬
sextile days), without disturbing their order, because adding or taking away
(a symbol) would destroy their perpetual system; and thus they made the
commencement of the civil year to agree with the vernal equinox, which
was the principal and governing part of the year.
He adds, that although the intercalated day had not a place in the order
of the symbols of the days of the year, but was thrust in, as it were, like an
interloper, still it gave a name (or character) to the bissextile year, having
most solemn feasts reserved to it, which, even in the third age, were sanc¬
tioned by the emperor or king of those provinces; and they were held in
honour of the god Xinteudli , “ lord of the year,” with great preparation of
viands and sumptuous dances, in which the lords alone danced and sang;
and for this reason they were called “the songs and dances of the lords.”
In the same bissextile year was held the solemn ceremony of piercing the
ears of the girls and young men, it being reserved for the high-priest to exe¬
cute that function, assisted by godfathers and godmothers.
In the 27th paragraph of the observations he says, that there was in the
third age another mode of intercalating, applied only to the ritual calendar,
and that, in order not to disturb either the perpetual order of the fixed
feasts, or of the sixteen movable feasts, which circulated among the sym¬
bols of the days of the year, by (or for the sake of) counting twice the sym¬
bol of the last month of the bissextile year, which caused them much anxi¬
ety on account of the displeasure of their gods, it was held better to re¬
serve the 13 bissextile days for the end of the cycle of 52 years; which
(days) are distinguished in their wheels or tables by thirteen ciphers,
(painted) blue or of some other colour; and they belonged neither to any
month nor any year, nor had they particular or individual symbols, like
the other days. It was with them as if there were no such days, nor were
they dedicated to any of their gods, on which account they were reputed
448
APPENDIX.
“ unfortunate.” The whole of those 13 days was a time of penitence and
fasting, for fear that the world should come to an end; nor did they eat any
warm food, as the fire was extinguished through the whole land till the new
cycle began, when the ceremony of the new fire was celebrated.
But as all these were matters relating only to rites and sacrifices (not to
the true computation of time), this mode of intercalating had no application
to the natural year, because it would have greatly deranged the solstices,
equinoxes, and beginnings of the years; and the fact is abundantly proved
by the circumstance that the days thus intercalated (at the end of the cycle)
had none of the symbols belonging to the days of the year, and the ritual
calendar accounted them bissextiles at the end of each cycle, in imitation,
though by a different order, of the civil bissextiles, which (as being more
accurate) were more proper for the regulation of public affairs.
AN ALMANAC, ADJUSTED ACCORDING TO THE CHRONOLOGICAL CALCULATION OP
THE ANCIENT INDIANS OF YUCATAN, FOR THE YEARS 1841 AND 1842, BY DON
JUAN PIO PEREZ.
Observations .—The notes or remarks utz, yutz 7cin, a lucky day, lob , u
lob kin , an unlucky day, signify that the Indians had their days of good
and of ill fortune, like some of the nations of ancient Europe; although it
is easily perceived that the number of their days of ill fortune is excessive,
still they are the same found by me in three ancient almanacs which I
have examined, and found to agree very nearly. I have applied them to the
number, not the name, of the day, because the announcements of rain, of
planting, &c., must, in my opinion, belong to the fixed days of the month,
and not to the names of particular days; as these each year are changed,
and turn upon the four primaries, Kan, Muluc, Gix , and Cauac , chiefs of
the year. In another place, however, I have seen it laid down as a rule
that the days Chicchan, CM or Kimi, Oc, Men , Ahau, and Akial, are the
days of rest in the month; and this appears probable, as I see no reason
why there should be so great an excess of days of ill fortune. In the al¬
manacs cited above, this order was not observed, either from ignorance or
excessive superstition.
Thus the days on which the burner takes his fire, kindles it, gives it free
scope, and extinguishes it, are subject to the 3d, 4th, 10th, and 11th of the
days Chicchan, Oc, Men, and Ahau; as they say, for example, that on the
3d Chicchan the burner takes his fire, on the 10th Chicchan he begins, the
4lh Chicchandie gives it scope, and the 11th Chicchan he extinguishes it;
the same may be said of Oc, Men, and Ahau; from which we see that
these epochs are movable, as the days 3, 4, 10, and 11 do not always fall
on the same days of the month, but only according to the combination of
the weekly numbers with the days referred to.
APPENDIX.
449
It may be asked, who is this burner that takes his fire, kindles it, permits
it to destroy, and extinguishes itl To this I cannot reply, as I have been
unable to find an explanation of the mystery; perhaps the days specified
might be days of sacrifice, or some other act of superstition.
1st INDIAN MONTH, “ POP,” OF THE YEAR 1 KAN.
Pap.
July. !
1. Kan.
1
Hun Kan, utz licil u cutal, Pop (good, as
the beginning of Pop).
16
2. Chicchan.
2
Ca Chicchan, utz u tiai pakal (good for
planting).
17
3. Gluiml.
3
Ox GLuimi, lob kin (an unlucky day).
Can Manik, utz u tial pakal (good for
planting).
18
4. Manik.
4
19
5. Lamat.
5
Ho Lamat, utz kin (a good day).
20
6. Muluc.
6
Uac Muluc, utz kin (6 Muluc; a good
day).
21
7. Oc.
7
Uuc Oc, utz u tial ahguehob (good for
hunting; for the settlers).
22
8. Chuen.
8
Uaxxac Chuen, yutz kin, kal ikal u ehi-
bal tok (good day; without wind).
23
9. Eb.
9
Bolon Eb, u lob kin (9 Eb; a bad day).
Lahun Been, yutz kin (10 Been; a good
day).
21
10. Been.
10
25
11. Hix.
11
Buluc Hix, yutz kin (11 Hix; a good
day).
26
12. Men.
12
Lahca Men, yutz kin (12 Men; a good
day).
27
13. Ctuib.
13
Oxlahun Gluib, u lob kin (13 Gluib; an
unlucky day).
28
1. Caban.
14
Hun Caban, u lob kin (1 Caban; an un¬
lucky day).
29
2. Edznab.
15
Ca Edznab, yutz kin, licil u zihil ahmiatz
yetel ahdzib hunob (good day; in which
are born writers and wise men).
30
3. Cauac.
16
Ox Cauac, yutz kin (a good day).
31
4. Ahau.
17
Can Ahau, yutz kin ti almehenob; yal-
cab u kak ahtoc (a good day for the
* nobles; the burner gives the fire scope).
Aug. 1
5. Ymix.
18
Ho Ymix, u lob kin (a bad day).
2
6. Yk. .
19
Uac Yk, u lob kin (an unlucky day).
3
7. Akbal.
20
Uuc Akbal, yutz kin (a good day).
4
UO, 2d INDIAN MONTH.
Uo.
August.
8. Kan.
1
Uaxxac Kan, u lob. kin licil u cutal Uo
(a bad day, as the root of Uo).
5
9. Chicchan.
2
Bolon Chicchan, u lob kin (an unlucky
day).
6
10. Ctuimf.
3
Lahun Gluimi, u lob kin (an unlucky
day).
7
11. Manik.
4
Buluc Manik, u lob kin (an unlucky day).
Lahca Lamat, u lob kin (an unlucky day).
8
12. Lamat.
5
9
13. Muluc.
6
Oxlahun Muluc, u lob kin (an unlucky
day).
10
450
APPENDIX.
uo, 2d Indian month (Continued).
Uo.
August.
7
1, Oc, u lob kin, cimil hoppol kin (a bad day; death in
the five following).
11
8
2, Chuen, u lob kin (an unlucky day).
12
9
3, Eb, u lob kin, chetun cimil yani (a bad day; sudden
deaths).
13
10
4, Been, u lob kin, u ooc cimil (an unlucky day; sud¬
den deaths).
14
11
5, Hix, u lob kin (an unfortunate day).
15
12
6, Men, u lob kin (an unfortunate day).
16
13
7, Q,uib, u lob kin (an unfortunate day).
17
14
8. Caban, u lob kin (an unfortunate day).
18
15
9, Edznab, u lob kin, cimil yani (a bad day; death is
here).
19
16
10, Cauac, u lob kin (an unlucky day).
20
17
11, Ahau, lob, u tup kak ahtoc (bad; tneburner puts out
the fire).
21
18
12, Ymix, u lob kin (an unfortunate day).
22
19
13, Yk, u lob kin (an unfortunate day).
23
20
1, Akbal, au yutz Kin (a lucky day).
24
ZIP, 3d INDIAN MONTH.
Zip. .
August.
1
2, Kan, yutz kin, licil u cutal Zip (a good day; the root
of Zip).
25
2
3, Chicchan, lob, u cha .kak ahtoc (bad; the burner
takes the fire).
26
3
4, Q,uimi, yutz kin, u kin takal u kab balam (a good
day; one in which the hands are laid on the tiger). .
27
4
5, Manik, u lob kin (an unlucky day).
28
5
6, Lamat, u lob kin.
29
6
7, Muluc, u lob kin.
30
7
8, Oc, u lob kin.
31
8 j
9, Chuen, u lob kin.
Sept. 1
9
10, Eb, u lob kin.
2
10
11, Ben, u lob kin.
3
11
12, Hix, utz kin (a good day).
4
12
13, Men, utz u zihil ahau (good; the king is bom).
5
13
1, Gluib, utz kin.
6
14
2, Caban, yutz kin.
7
15
3, Edznab, yutz kin.
8
16
4, Cauac, yutz kin.
9
17
5, Ahau, yutz kin.
10
18
6, Ymix, yutz kin, haahal tela (a good day; there is
rain).
11
19
7, Yk, yutz kin, haahal tela (a good day; there is rain).
12
20
8, Akbal, yutz.
13
ZODZ, 4th INDIAN MONTH.
Zodz.
Sept.
1
9, Kan,utz u zian ku, u kin chac licil u cutal zoo (good;
church day, of rain, &c.).
14
2
10, Chicchan, u lob kin, u hoppol u kak ahtoc (a bad day;
the fire begins).
15
APPENDIX.
45 ]
zodz, 4th Indian month (Continued).
Zodz.
Sept
3
11, GLuimi, u lob kin, u kin unichcohunahau,eohunich
(a bad day).
16
4
12, Manik, u lob kin (a bad day).
17
5
13, Lamat, yutz kin.
18
6
1, Muluc, yutz kin.
19
7
2, Oc, yutz kin.
20
8
3, Chuen, yutz kin.
21
9
4, Eb; lob kin, licil u zihil ahau (bad; the king is born).
22
10
5, Ben, lob kin.
23
11
6, Hix, utz u tial Ahcabnalob licil u pakal cab (good for
the bee-hunters; in it the swarms are hived).
24
12
7, Men, utz.
25
13
8, Gluib, yutz kin.
26
14
9, Caban, u yutz kin.
27
15
10, Edznab, u yutz kin.
28
16
11, Cauac, u yutz kin.
29
17
12, Ahau, lob u kukumtok chapahal yani (bad; the plume
of infirmities).
30
18
13, Ymix, lob kin.
Oct. 1
19
1, Yk, utz kin, u zian chac (good; a day of rain).
2
20
2, Akbal, u lob kin.
3
ZEC, 5th INDIAN MONTH.
Zee.
October.
1
3, Kan, utz u zian chac licil u cutal zee (good; begin¬
ning of Zee; rain).
4
2
4, Chicchan, lob u yalcab u kak ahtoc (bad; the burner
gives the fire scope).
5
3
5, Gtuimt, lob u lubul u koch mehen palalob; chapahal
yani (bad; the tax on children falls due; there is sick¬
ness).
6
4
6, Manik, lob.
7
5
7, Lamat, u lob kin.
8
6
8, Muluc, u lob kin.
9
7
9, Oc, u yutz kin, zutti kaax xinxinbal (good for walk¬
ing, &c.).
10
8
10, Chuen, u lob kin.
11
9
11, Eb, u lob kin.
12
10
12, Been, u lob kin.
13
11
13, Hix, u lob kin.
14
12
1, Men, u lob kin.
15
13
2, Gluib, u lob kin, kalal hub, cinil yani (an unlucky
day; the snail retreats to his shell, or is sawn open;
death is in the day).
16
14
3, Caban, yutz kin.
17
15
4, Edznab, lob, u hokol chacmitan tac metnal ti kin ti
akab (bad; hunger is loosed from hell by day and
night).
18
16
5, Cauac, u lob kin.
19
17
6, Ahau, u lob kin.
20
18
7, Ymix, u lob kin.
21
19
8, Yk, u lob kin.
22
20
9, Akbal, u lob kin.
23
\
452
A P P E N D I X.
XUL, 6th INDIAN MONTH.
Xu],
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
October.
10, Kan, lob, u zian chac licil u cutal Xul (bad; rain;
beginning of Xul).
11, Chicchan, utz u tup kak ahtoc, u ca kin haf (good;
second day of rain; the burner extinguishes the fire).
12, Gluiml, lob kin.
13, Manik, u lob kin.
1, Lamat, utz u yalcab muyal (good; the clouds fly).
2, Muluc, lob u lubul u koch mehenob yetel akkinob
licil u ppixichob (bad; day of watching; the tax of
the sons and priests falls due).
3, Oc, lob u cha kak ahtoc (bad; the burner takes fire).
4, Chuen, lob kin.
5, Eb, u lob kin.
6, Been, u lob kin.
7, Hix, lob kin, u lubul u koch almehenob ppixich yani
(bad; a day of watching; of taxes from the nobles).
8, Men, u lob kin.
9, Gluib, u lob kin.
10, Caban, u lob kin.
11, Edznab, u lob kin.
12, Cauac, u lob kin, u mupptun cizin lae (a bad day,
and of attacks from the devil).
13, Ahau, u lob kin.
1, Ymix, u lob kin.
2, Yk, u lob kin.
3, Akbal, u lob kin.
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Nov. 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
DZEYAXKIN, 7TH INDIAN MONTH.
Dzeyaxkin.
Nov.
1
4, Kan, u lob kin, licil u cutal Teyaxkin (bad day; be¬
ginning of Dzeyaxkin).
13
2
5, Chicchan, u lob kin.
14
3
6, Gtuimf, u lob kin.
15
4
7, Manik, lob, utz u pec chaci u kin haf, u zut muyal
nocoycaan chalbaku (bad; thunder, rain, clouds, &c.)
16
5
8, Lamat, u lob kin.
17
6
9, Muluc, lob u kaalal hub u yail kin, u chibal, hub yani
(bad; the snail’s horn is closed; a bad day on it, a
snail will bite).
18
7
10, Oc, lob kin, u hoppol u kak ahtoc (bad; the burner
begins).
19
8
11, Chuen, u lob kin.
20
9
12, Eb, u lob kin.
21
10
13, Been, u lob kin.
22
11
1. Hix, yutz kin.
23
12
2, Men, yutz kin.
24
13
3, Gluib, u lob kin, yoc uah payambe (bad; beginning of
bread).
25
14
4, Caban, u lob kin, ceel yani (bad; there are agues).
26
15
5, Edznab, u lob kin.
27
16
6, Cauac, u lob kin.
28
17
7, Ahau, u lob kin.
29
18
8, Ymix, u lob kin.
30
19
9, Yk, utz u hoppol hal (good; the rain begins).
Dec. 1
20
10, Akbal, utz kin.
2
APPENDIX.
453
MOL, 8th INDIAN MONTH.
Mol.
Dec.
1
11, Kan. u lob kin, licil u cutal Mol (a bad day; the be-
ginning of Mol).
3
2
12, Chicchan, u lob kin.
4
3
13, Gtuimi, u lob kin.
5
4
1, Manik, utz.
6
5
2, Lamat, u lob kin.
7
6
3, Muluc, u lob kin.
8
7
4, Oc, yutz kin u yalcab n kak ahtoc (a good day; the
burner gives scope to the fire).
9
8
5, Chuen, yutz kin.
10
9
6, Eb, u lob kin.
11
10
7, Been, yutz kin.
12
11
8, Hix, u lob kin.
13
12
9, Men, u lob kin.
14
13
10, Gluib, yutz kin u kin noh uafi (a day of abundance).
15
14
11, Caban, yutz kin.
16
15
12, Edznab, u lob kin, u Chaalba ku (a bad day for the
church).
17
16
13, Cauac, yutz kin licil, u kokol u yik hub u kin ha
(good; the horn sounds well; rain).
18
17
1, Ahau, u lob kin.
19
18
2, Ymix, u lob kin, u coi kinal ahau ku (bad; a day less¬
ened by the King of the Temple, God).
20
19
3, Yk, u lob kin.
21
20
4, Akbal, u lob kin, u coi kinal ahau ku (an unlucky
day; lessened by the King God, or King of the Tern-
pie).
22
CHEN, 9TH INDIAN MONTH.
Chen.
Dec.
1
5, Kan, lob (utz) licil u cutal Chen (bad or good; be¬
ginning of Chen).
23
2
6, Chicchan, u lob kin (utz).
24
3
7, Guimi, yutz kin.
25
4
8, Manik, lob kin.
26
5
9, Lamat, u lob kin.
27
6
10, Muluc, u lob kin.
28
7
11, Oc. utz, u tup kak ahtoc (good; the burner puts out
the fire j.
29
8
12, Chuen, yutz kin.
30
9
13, Eb, yutz kin.
31
10
1, Been, yutz kin. 1842
Jan. 1
11
2, Hix, yutz kin.
Q
•'» )
12
3, Men, utz u cha kak ahtoc (good; the burner takes his
fire).
3
13
4, Gluib utz.
4
14
5, Caban, lob licil u cimil uinicob u xulti (bad; the end
of man).
5
15
6, Edznab, u lob kin.
6
16
7, Cauac, utz kin, u tial kabnal (good for the bee-hunt¬
er).
7
17
8, Ahau, yutz kin.
8
18
9, Ymix, yutz kin.
9
19
10, Yk, yutz kin.
10
20
11, Akbal, yutz kin.
11
454
APPENDIX.
VAX, IOtH INDIAN MONTH.
Yax.
January.
1
12, Kan, lob licil u cutal Yax (bad; beginning of Yax).
12
2
13, Chicchan, lob u kukumtok chapahal yani (an unfor-
tun ate day; plume of maladies).
13
3
1, Q,uimi, lob kin.
14
4
2, Manik, utz u xul kaxal haf (end of rains).
15
5
3, Lamat, u lob kin.
16
8
4, Muluc, utz u zian chaac (day of rain).
17
7
5, Oc, licil u kalal u koch mehen palal (the taxing of
children is ended).
18
8
6, Chuen, u lob kin.
19
9
7, Eb, yutz kin.
20
10
8, Been, yutz kin.
21
11
9, Hix, u lob kin.
22
12
10, Men, utz u hoppol u kak ahtoc, utz ti cucut, ti kaax
u tial ahcehob (a good day; the fire of the burner be¬
gins ; good for the body, for the forests, and the deer).
23
13
11, Q,uib, u lob kin.
24
14
12, Caban, u lob kin.
25
15
13, Edznab, u lob kin.
26
16
1, Cauac, u lob kin.
27
17
2, Ahau, u lob kin.
28
18
3, Ymix, u lob kin, u kin kal be hub (bad; the horn does
not sound).
29
19
4, Yk, yutz Kin.
30
20
5, Akbal, lob u kin, u hokol chacmitan choctal metnal
chetun cimil yani (bad; hunger stalks abroad; death
is here).
31
ZAC, llTH INDIAN MONTH.
Zac.
\
February
1
6, Kan, lob licil u cutal Zac (bad; the commencement
of Zac).
1
2
7, Chicchan, lob kin.
2
3
8, Q.uimi, u lob kin.
3
4
9, Manik, u lob kin.
4
5
10, Lamat, u lob kin.
5
6
11, Muluc, utz cu pec chaaci, ha yani (good; thunder
and rain).
6
7
12, Oc, yutz kin.
7
8
13, Chuen, u lob kin.
8
9
1, Eb, lob kin.
9
10
2, Been, yutz kin.
10
11
3, Hix, u lob kin.
11
12
4, Men, u lob kin, u yalcab a kak ahtoc, u lubul u koch
ahkin ppixich (a bad day ; the burner gives scope to
12
the fire; taxation of the priests).
13
5, Gluib, u lob kin chapahal chocuil.
13
14
6, Caban, u lob kin.
14
15
7, Edznab, u lob kin.
15
16
8, Cauac, u lob kin ti ppix ich.
16
17
9, Ahau, u lob kin, u lubul u koch al mehenob (bad; the
days of the contribution of the nobles are completed).
17
18
10, Ymix, u lob kin (utz).
18
19
11, Yk, u lob kin.
19
20
12, Akbal, u lob kin, u nup cizin telae (bad; insidious
attacks of the arch-fiend).
20
APPENDIX*
455
QUEJ, 12th INDIAN MONTH.
Quej.
February
1
13, Kan, u lob kin.
21
2
1, Chicchan, u lob kin.
22
3
2, Gtuimf, u lob kin u thalal u koch ahkulelob (day of
lawyers).
23
4
3, Manik, yutz kin u thalal u koch ahaulil uincob (a day
of service, or binding on the kings of men).
24
5
4, Lamat, u lob kin.
25
6
5, Muluc, u lob kin.
26
7
6, Oc, u lob kin.
27
8
7, Chuen, u lob kin.
2B
9
8, Eb, yutz kin, u kin pec chaac (good; it thunders').
Mar. 1
10
9, Been, u lob kin.
2
11
10, Hix, lob kin u kalaal hub.
3
12
11, Men, u lob kin, u tup kak ahtoc (bad; the burner
puts out the fire).
4
13
12, Q.uib, u lob kin.
5
14
13, Caban, u lob kin.
6
15
I, Edznab, u lob kin, uchac u pec chaaci (bad; it may
thunder).
7
16
2, Cauac, u lob kin.
8
17
3, Ahau, u lob kin, u cha kak ahtoc (bad; the burner
handles the fire).
9
18
4, Ymix, utz, yoc uil payambe, ti u kaxal ha: chikin
chaac (good; abundance).
10
19
5, Yk, u lob kin ; ceel xan u yoc uil (bad; agues; and
day of plenty).
11
20
6, Akbal, lob chac ceeli (utz) (bad; fevers).
12
MAC, 13TH INDIAN MONTH.
Mac.
March.
1
7, Kan, u lob kin, licil u cutal Mac (bad; beginning of
Mac).
13
2
8, Chicchan, u lob kin.
14
3
9, Q.uimi, u lob kin.
15
4
10, Manik, utz, u hoppol hai (good; the beginning of
♦
rain).
16
5
11, Lamat, yutz kin.
17
6
12, Muluc, yutz kin.
18
7
13, Oc, u lob kin.
19
8
1, Chuen, u lob kin.
20
9
2, Eb, yutz kin.
21
10
3, Been, u lob kin, licil u pec chikin chac (bad; wester¬
ly rains).
22
11
4, Hix, u lob kin.
23
12
5, Men, u lob kin.
24
13
6, Gtuib, u lob kin.
25
14
7, Caban, u lob kin.
26
15
8, Edznab, utz yoc uil (sign of abundance).
27
16
9, Cauac, utz kin.
28
17
10, Ahau, utz u hoppol u kak ahtoc, yoc uil (the burner
lights his fire; harvest day).
29
18
11, Ymix, utz uyoc uil.
30
19
12, Yk, yutz kin.
31
20
13, Akbal, utz u chaalba ku (u zian ku) (church day).
Apr. 1
456
APPENDIX.
KANKIN, 14TH INDIAN MONTH.
Kankin.
April.
1
1, Kan, lob, licil u cutal Kankin (bad ; the root of Kan-
kin).
2
2
2, Chicchan, lob n hokol u yik hub, u kin ha (an un¬
lucky day ; day of rain; the horn sounds).
3
3
3, Gluimi, yutz kin.
4
4
4, Manik, yutz kin.
5
5
5, Lamat, yutz kin.
6
6
6, Muluc, yutz kin.
7
7
7, Oc, yutz kin.
8
8
8, Chuen, utz, licil u lubul ha hach kaam (heavy rains).
9
9
9, Eb, lob c-a cha u kin hai (day of rain).
10
10
10, Been, u lob kin.
11
11
11, Hix, yutz kin.
12
12
12, Men, yutz kin.
13
13
13, Gtuib, yutz kin.
14
14
1, Caban, yutz kin.
15
15
2, Edznab. yutz kin.
16
1G
3, Cauac, yutz kin.
17
17
4, Ahau, utz u yalcab u kak ahtoc (licil u zihil cabnal)
(good ; the bee-hunter is bom ; the burner gives scope
to the fire).
18
18
5, Ymix, u lob kin.
19
19
G, Yk, u lob kin.
20
20
7, Akbal, u lob kin.
21
MOAN, 15th INDIAN MONTH.
Moan.
April.
1
8, Kan, lob, licil u cutal Moan (bad; the root of Moan.)
22
2
9, Chicchan, u lob kin.
23
3
10, Gtuimi, u lob kin.
24
4
11, Manik, u lob kin.
25
5
12, Lamat, u lob kin.
2G
G
13, Muluc, yutz kin, chac ikal (good; a hurricane).
27
7
1, Oc, u lob kin.
38
8
2, Chuen, u lob kin, u nuptun cizin oxppel kin ca uchuc
ppixich chabtan kini (bad; a day of temptation; three
29
days of watching).
9
3, Eb, lob hun chabtan oxppel akab u ppixichlae, u
cappel u kinil nuptun cizin ca ppixichnac uinic baix
tu yoxppel kinil xan (bad; a day of temptation; three
30
days of watching),
10
4, Been, yutz u kin u hal (rain).
May 1
11
5, Hix, u lob kin.
2
12
6, Men, u lob kin.
3
13
7, Gtuib, u lob kin zutob ti kax (bad for travellers).
4
14
8, Caban, lob, u tabal u keban yahanlil cabob (an un¬
lucky day ; the sins of the king are proved).
5
15
9, Edznab, u lob kin.
6
16
10, Cauac, u lob kin ximxinbal ti kax (bad for those
who walk).
7
17
11, Ahau, u tup kak ahtoc, lob pazal cehob (the burner
puts out the fire).
8
18
12, Ymix, u lob kin ti kuku uincob (bad for the sacrifi-
cers).
9
19
13, Yk, utz ti yahanlil cabob (good for the queen bees).
10
20
1, Akbal, utz u kin hal (a good day of rain).
11
APPENDIX.
457
PAX, 16TH INDIAN MONTH.
Pax.
May.
1
2, Kan, lob, ti batabob licil u cutal Pax (bad for the ea-
ciques; the beginning of Pax).
12
2
3, Chicchan, lob u cha kak ahtoc iktan yol uinici (bad;
the burner puts out the fire).
13
3
4, Gluimi, u lob kin, licil u ppixiehob (bad; a day of
watching).
14
4
5, Manik, u lob kin, cup ikal (bad; a great and suffoca¬
ting heat).
15
5
6, Lamat, u lob kin.
16
6
7, Muluc, u lob kin.
17
7
8, Oc, yutz kin.
18
8
9, Chuen, yutz kin.
19
9
10, Eb, yutz kin u xocol yoc kin (the days of the sun
are reckoned).
20
10
11, Been, u lob kin.
21
11
12, Hix, u lob kin.
22
12
13, Men, yutz kin.
23
13
1, Q.uib, u lob kin.
24
14
2, Caban, u lob kin.
25
15
3, Edznab, lob, u lubul hai tu kuch haabil Muluc u cap-
pel yoc uil) bad; year of Muluc; second day of plant-
26
ing)-
16
4, Cauac, yutz kin.
27
17
5, Ahau, yutz kin.
28
18
6, Ymix, yutz kin.
29
19
7, Yk, yutz kin, u hoppol hai (it rains).
30
20
8, Akbal, u lob kin.
31
KAYAB, 17TH INDIAN MONTH.
Kayab.
June.
1
9, Kan, lob, licil u cutal kayab (bad; the beginning of
2
Kayab).
10, Chicchan, lob, u hoppol u kak ahtoc (the burner be¬
1
gins).
2
3
11, Q.uimi, u lob kin.
3
4
12, Manik, u lob kin.
4
5
13, Lamat, u lob kin.
5
6
1, Muluc, yutz kin.
6
7
2, Oc, u lob kin.
7
8
3, Chuen, u lob kin.
8
9
4, Eb, yutz u kin noh hal (heavy rains).
9
10
5, Been, u lob kin.
10
11
6, Hix, u lob kin.
11
12
7, Men, u lob kin.
12
13
8, Q.uib, u lob kin.
13
14
9, Caban, u lob kin.
14
15
10, Edznab, u lob kin thol caan chaac (bad; from all
parts).
15
16
11, Cauac, u lob kin, mankin ha (daily rains).
16
17
12, Ahau, u lob kin.
17
18
13, Ymix, yutz kin.
18
19
1, Yk, yutz kin.
19
20
2, Akbal, yutz kin.
20
39
458
APPENDIX.
CUMKU, 18th INDIAN MONTH.
(JumJtfi.
June.
1
3, Kan, utz, licil u cutal Cumku (good; beginning of
Cumku).
21
2
4, Chicchan, lob kin, yalcab u kak ahtoc (bad; the bum-
er gives scope to the fire).
22
3
5, Gluimi, u lob kin.
23
4
6, IVIanik, u lob kin.
24
5
7, Lamat, u lob kin.
25
6
8, Muluc, utz u zian ku (a day to attend the temple).
26
7
9, Oc, yutz kin.
27
8
10, Chuen, u lob kin.
28
9
11, Eb, u lob kin.
29
10
12, Been, yutz kin.
30
11
13, Hix, u lob kin.
July 1
12
1, Men, u lob kin.
2
13
2, Gluib, u lob kin.
3
14
3, Caban, utz u kin balam haabil.
4
15
4, Edznab, utz ppixichnebal ppolom (the traders watch).
5
16
5, Cauac, u lob kin.
6
17
6, Ahau, u lob kin.
7
18
7, Ymix, utz u payalte lae oac uinabal uli.
8
19
8, Yk, u lob kin.
9
20
9, Akbal, u lob kin.
10
XMA KABA KIN,” OR INTERCALARY DAYS.
July.
1
10, Kan, yutz kin, u nay eb haab, xma kaba kin ca cu-
lac u chun haab poop (cradle of the year, &c.).
31
2
11, Chicchan, u lob kin, u tup kak ahtoc (the burner
puts out the fire).
12
3
12, GLuimi, u lob kin.
13
4
13, Manik, utz u tial sabal ziil (to make presents).
14
5
1, Lamat, yutz kin.
15
The next year would commence with 2 Muluc, the following one with.
3 Hix, the fourth year with 4 Cauac, the fifth with 5 Kan; and so on com
tinually, until the completion of the 13 numbers of the week of years,
which commences with the day Kan; after which the weeks of Muluc,
Hix, and Cauac follow, in such manner that, after the lapse of 52 years, the
week of years again begins with 1 Kan, as in the preceding almanac. Re¬
specting the bissextile, I have already manifested my opinion in the chro¬
nology of the Indians.
The translation of the names of the months and days is not as easy as it
would appear, because some are not at present in use, and others, again,
from the different meanings attached to them, and from the want of their
true pronunciation, cannot be correctly understood; however, be this as it
may, I shall endeavour to decipher them as nearly as possible, and accord¬
ing to the present state of the language, beginning with the months.
1. Pop, mat of cane. 2. Uo, frog. 3. Zip, a tree. 4. Zodz, a bat. 5. Zee,
obsolete. 6. Xul, end or conclusion. 7. Dzeyaxkin; I know not its significa¬
tion, although the meaning of yaxkin is summer. 8. Mol, to reunite. 9.
APPENDIX.
459
Chen, a well. 10. Yax, first, or Yaax, green or blue, though, as the following
month is Zac, white, I believe this should be Yaax. 11. Zac, white. 12.
duez, a deer. 13. Mac, a lid or cover. 14. Kankin, yellow sun, perhaps
because in this month of April the atmosphere is charged with smoke;
owing to the woods being cut down and burned, the light of the sun is
darkened, and at 5 P.M. it appears red and throws but little light. 15. Moan,
antiquated, and its signification forgotten. 16. Pax, any instrument of
music. 17. Kayab, singing. 18. Cumku, a thunder-clap, or noise like the
report of a cannon, which is heard in the woods while the marshes are dry¬
ing, or from some other cause. Uayebhaab, Xma kaba kin, which signifies
bed, or chamber of the year, or days without name, were the appellations
given to the intercalary days, as they appertained to no month to which a
name was given.
Translation of the 20 Days.
1. Kan, string or yarn of twisted hemp; it also means anything yellow,
or fruit and timber proper for cutting. 2. Chicchan, obsolete; if it is Chi-
chan, it signifies small or little. 3. GLuimi, or Cimi, death or dead. 4.
Manik, obsolete, but if the word may be divided, it would signify wind
that passes; for Man is to pass, to buy, and ik is wind. 5. Lamat, obsolete,
not understood. 6. Muluc, obsolete; although, should it be the primitive ot
mulucbal , it will signify reunion. 7. Oc, that which may be held in the
palm of the hand. 8. Chuen, disused; some say it is equivalent to board.
9. Eb, ladder. 10. Been, obsolete. 11. Hix, not used, although, combined
with others, it signifies roughness, as in Hixcay, rasp, Hihixci, rough. 12.
Men, builder. 12. duib, or Cib, wax or gum copal. 14. Caban, obsolete.
15. Edznab, obsolete. 16. Cauac, disused, although it appears to be the
word cacau. 17. Ahau, king, or period of 24 years; the day in which this
period commenced, and therefore they called it Ahau Katun. 18. Ymix,
obsolete ; although it appears to be the same as Yxim, com or maize. 19.
Yk, wind. 20. Akbal, word disused and unknown.
This is the signification given to those days.
PetOj 14th April , 1842.
END Or VOL. I.
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